Some of the artists and embroiderers that we work with in Hidalgo:
Nahual
Bordado Otomí
The Sierra Madre Oriental, where the Otomí embroiderers that we work with live, is a remote mountain range in north eastern Mexico. It is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of almost continuous mountain ranges that spans 1000 kilometers from North America through Central and South America, to Antarctica. The area has an abundant biodiversity which features heavily in the work of the female (and occasional male) artists that produce this rich and varied work.
The Otomí are the original inhabitants of this region. Inspired by ancestral dress and amate (a sacred bark-paper art practiced by Otomí shamans) and influenced by cave paintings and a belief in nagualism (whereby people transform, either spiritually or physically, into animals) the exquisite embroidery they create emerged in its present form in the 1960s. Merging everyday and mythical depictions of fauna, flora, birds and animals, their tenangos (pieces of embroidery) evoke the spirit of Mexican magical realism combined with Otomí traditions and contemporary artistic practice.
Nahual works with Otomí embroiderers in the state of Hidalgo as well as artisans in Puebla. Following fair-trade principals by supporting and honoring each person and family involved in the process in a fair and respectful way, we foster traditional techniques to promote Otomí cultural heritage. We are proud to contribute in any way we can to ensure the continuation of this venerable and important tradition.