Chimayó, New Mexico - Magazine for the Arts

14
www.artsmagazine.info
Magazine
September 2006
ARTS ALL
AROUND
by Barbara-lyn Morris
Chimayó, New Mexico
Epicenter of Weaving
Dating to ancient times, weaving
requires a loom that incorporates an
arrangement of vertical and horizontal
threads or yarn on a wooden frame.
Vertical strands of fiber (cotton, flax,
wool) form the warp, and the horizontal
strands that cross the warp make up the
weft. Mostly “the quiet work of women,”
weaving is also the proud work of several
generations of men in one area of our
country.
The oldest tradition of weaving wool
in the U.S. lies in the mountains of
northern New Mexico. I became aware
of that legacy several years ago when I
met weaver and author Lisa Trujillo at
the Spanish Market in Santa Fe. Lisa is
the co-author of The Centinela Weavers
of Chimayó: Unfolding Tradition (1999),
an account of one family’s roots in
traditional weaving. Husband Irvin is
proud of his wife’s book. It not only
celebrates the rich weaving tradition, but
it also “explores the dark areas of my
family” and gives encouragement to
those who experiment with weaving as
an art form.
A leisurely chat with Lisa as she
worked with her brightly dyed yarns
inspired me to make my first pilgrimage
to the area most identified today with
Spanish weaving – Chimayó. Armed with
background information from Lisa about
the introduction of churro sheep (hardy
and coarse-wooled) by the Spanish to
the northernmost part of the old Spanish
empire, I set out to find Chimayó, the
epicenter of the Spanish weaving
tradition.
other employees, such as cousin Jeannie,
are always eager to talk about the Ortega
weaving tradition and style. Red, gray,
and black are the traditional colors, while
contemporary colors have a wide range
from bright turquoise to bold orange.
The basic design of the traditional
Chimayó style includes two borders on
each end with a geometric center design,
such as a thunderbird or eight-pointed
star. Large pieces may also have a side
design of diamond or arrow shapes on
either side of the center. Most weavers
chart their design before beginning to
weave, but Andrew says he usually starts
a weaving without knowing the design.
“It’s like doodling – whatever inspires
me.” He acknowledges that he has to
bear in mind that “once to the middle I
have to copy it back.”
I have now made the pilgrimage
several times to this rural, high
mountain desert community
about 45 minutes north of Santa
Fe on NM Route 76, halfway to
Taos. Chimayó is a Tewa Indian
word for the red “flaking stone”
in the surrounding hills.
The area around the village
of Chimayó is home to at least
60 weavers, many of them men,
according to estimates from
several locals. Most weave
privately at home, although
some weavers post small signs
along the roads. Three major
weaving outlets carried on by
male heirs are open to the public.
The easiest to find is Ortega’s
Weaving Shop in the tiny village
center at the intersection of NM
Routes 76 and 98.
The Ortega family enterprise
includes a large weaving retail
store and workshop – the
domain of Robert Ortega, a New
A chat with Lisa Trijullo at Santa Fe’s Spanish
Mexico artisan gallery and a
Market inspired Morris to visit Chimayó.
small Chimayó museum – and
the outlets of “younger-brother-byAt Ortega’s a visitor can always find
eleven-months” Andrew. They represent someone standing up at a large
the seventh generation of Ortega horizontal center-balanced (two harness)
weavers. Andrew said, “To make peace floor loom. The weaver stands on
at home, we had to weave like our father treadles and moves the warp by foot.
and his father. In our family, Mom was The process is distinguished from the
the business manager.” Andrew’s son, Navajo, who weave seated at a vertical
Paul, just finished college in business loom and separate the warp by hand with
administration. He grew up weaving; a stick.
however, Andrew explains, “We can’t
About a mile east from Ortega’s on
afford him now.” The Ortega brothers and Route 76 is Centinela Traditional Arts,
the gallery and workshop of Lisa and
Irvin Trujillo. Irvin is a seventhgeneration weaver who began at age 10
“so I could make money to buy a set of
drums.”
Irvin’s engineering background and
Lisa’s business degree have served them
well. They divide their market four ways:
tourist (small pieces); commercial
clothing (“We ship the equivalent of two
tons of wool a year to the Japanese, who
are enamored of the American West”);
architectural commissions (pieces for
commercial buildings and interior
designers); and art pieces (innovative
one-of-a-kind pieces which account for
about half their work).
The third outlet that visitors can
easily find once in Chimayó is Trujillo’s
Weaving Shop, Number 814 on State
Highway 76. Carlos Trujillo and his sister
Carol Alarid carry on the work of their
father John, a first cousin of Irvin’s father,
Jacob. Carlos weaves on a loom built by
his grandfather. Brother Richard works
in retail on weekends and plans to weave
full-time once he retires from his job in
Santa Fe.
Trujillo’s weaving specializes in recreating blankets from old designs, from
the “original” patterns of the 1700s,
when the colors were only those of
natural wools with designs of stripes and
bands, to the “valleros” or eight-point
star pattern of the 1880s. The pattern
unique to this workshop is the “Tree of
Life” design featuring a stylized tree with
birds and eagle on top. Designed by
Carlos’ father in 1960, Richard said of
the popular image, “It’s difficult to keep
up with the demand.”
The Chimayó tradition is unified by
certain commonalities of place, design,
and process. Nevertheless, each
workshop has distinguishing characteristics. Part of the fun of repeated visits
is figuring out the distinctions. Chimayó
Weaving, The Transformation of a
Tradition by Helen R. Lucero and
Suzanne Baizerman (1999) is a helpful
reference. Other resources are the
Museum of Spanish Colonial Art and the
Museum of International Folk Art, both
in Sante Fe. Visiting Santa Fe during
Spanish Market, traditionally the last
weekend in July, or for Winter Market
the first weekend of December, offers
opportunities to meet distinguished
weavers of Chimayó.
Ages 5-12
Classical East Indian
Dance & Reception
Saturday, Sept. 9 • 7:30 p.m.
Kingsport Renaissance Center
$10-$12 • Proceeds benefit
Children’s Advocacy Center
423-392-8417 or 423-392-8416
Fun with Junk
Making Homemade Instruments with Katie Doman
Sunday, September 10 @ 2:30 pm • The Exchange Place, Kingsport
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