Huichol

The other day, a friend sent me a slide show of an American couple who lives six months in Mexico and six months in the United States. As I watched the hour long slide show of beautiful and interesting pictures of Mexico, it brought to mind the many times I spent in Mexico and  I felt a sadness that I no longer traveled to Mexico on a regular basis. I also remembered seeing the work of Huicholes on my visits to Mexico.

How I admired the beaded figures on one of my visits to Mexico. I was told it was the work of the Huicholes and that they are Native Mexican Indians who are descendants from the Aztecs. I saw artisans in most of the states in Mexico though Huicholes are predominately in Nayarit, Durango, Zacatecas and Jalisco. These artisans work in yarn, beads, wood, and metal.

While in Ajijic, near Lake Chapala, a tourist area not too far from Guadalajara, I watched as a Huichol worked on placing tiny beads on a wooden mold until a beautiful figure emerged. Even though there were all sorts of animals, I purchased a few turtles to bring home as souvenirs.

Later, while in Nayarit, there was an open market of Mexican artists and again I saw the work of the Huichol. When I admired the beautiful work, my friend asked me which I liked, and I told her I liked the crosses. "I have a collection of crosses on my wall at home but these are pretty pricey." We continued looking at all the different works of art in the many booths. Later when we got to the condo where we were staying, she said, "Feliz Cumpleanos para mi amiga." She surprised me with the beaded cross I had admired at the open market.  When my friend came to the United States to visit me me, she again surprised me with another beautiful, beaded cross for my wall.

The one thing I was told by the artist was to keep the beaded work out of the sun because they use beeswax to stick the beads on and the art work could melt if placed in the hot sun!