It’s here!!! Sam messaged me Saturday night to say that my Tree of Life tapete was finished. So, my trusty blogger buddy Chris (he had an ulterior motive) and I drove out to Teotitlán del Valle to pick it up.
This very unique Tree of Life was designed by Sam Bautista Lazo (above on the left) and I had been immediately drawn to the use of a corn stalk, instead of a tree. After all, this is the valley where corn was thought to be first cultivated. Sam’s father, Mario Bautista Martínez chose the colors and, as I recounted in my Yagshī for my Tree of Life blog post, Sam’s mother Leonor Lazo González (above, second from right) dyed the wool.
The plan had been for Sam’s father to weave the rug, but farm work was taking the bulk of his time, so he turned it over to Jacinto (above left), a weaver in the village who specializes in the Tree of Life. Sam was incredulous that Jacinto didn’t draw the design on the warp and, instead, just did it “free hand” — weaving from a photo of the larger rug Sam had provided. And, if you are wondering, it took 72 hours to complete.
Here it is, up close. As you know, the moss/celery green color came from the yagshī plant. The brown was made from dried granada (pomegranate) skins and the yellow came from bejuco (dodder), a parasitic plant that can be seen draping itself over the branches of the Piru tree in Teotitlán. Añil (indigo) supplied the blue and the reds came from cochinilla (cochineal). While the other dyes can be gathered in the village, these latter two must be purchased and can be quite expensive.
Here it is, hanging in its new home at Casita Colibrí. I am SO grateful to Sam, Leonor, Mario, and Jacinto for their creativity, talent, and hard work in bringing my tapete to fruition and to Mother Nature for the resources she provides Teotitlán del Valle. It takes a village to make a Tree of Life!!!
Mexican Peso Converter
View From Casita Colibrí 
