2020 November Meeting & Program: Zapotec Weaving in the Pacific Northwest

Francisco Bautista & Family

My wife, Laura, and I were born in Teotitlán del Valle, a Zapotec village in Oaxaca, Mexico. We have always been fascinated by the infinite possibilities of crossing threads.

We use only hand-spun, hand dyed wool, and weave each of our works on a foot pedal loom. The vibrant colors you see in our weavings come from our own natural and aniline dyes. Together we work to ensure that the quality achieved by the Master Weavers of old will continue to live on in each piece we weave.

Weaving Through the Generations

As a boy, I remember sitting under my father’s loom as he wove. At first, I began working on the fringes of his weavings, tying the threads one at a time. Then as my passion for weaving grew, he would sit with me at his loom, and show me the rhythm and beauty of weaving.

That same passion I felt as a boy I still carry with me ― and I weave it into every piece I make.

So, too, my son and daughter have grown up sitting beneath my loom ― and just like me at that age, they are both eager to learn all that my wife and I can teach them about the art of weaving.

As they continue to grow, I know that one day Cynthia and David Bautista will be even more skillful than their mother and father.

We are proud of the tradition that we uphold together, and thankful for the opportunity to honor and add to that tradition with our work.

This meeting was recorded, and is available to members in the Member Only section of the website here: https://portlandhandweaversguild.org/members-only/recordings/