Born in 1939, Cecilia is a proud descendant of the indigenous Purépecha people from Ahuiran, Michoacán a village on the Tarascan plateau near Uruapan. Cecilia is pictured with her daughter and Stephanie Schneiderman of Tia Stephanie Tours in the second photo to the right. (We wish to thank Stephanie for the use of these two photos.)

For generations the women of this community have woven the classic indigo rebozos with black and light blue pin-stripes that women wear in various communities. She learned the art of back-strap loom weaving, or patakua in Purépecha, and dyeing from her mother, beginning her apprenticeship at age 8, and dominates all the facets of the process, including the knotted fringes that have rayon silk added on with various designs used as ceremonial shawls in Ahuiran and neighboring Tarecuato.

The photo below left is a cotton and rayon-silk fringed rebozo - photo taken from Banamex "Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art" and provided by Marta Turok. The photo just above right is a classic cotton Purépecha black/blue rebozo. (We wish to thank Marta Turok for Cecilia's bio.)

Cecilia is proud of the fact that she was the first weaver to experiment placing real feathers on the fringes 22 years ago, an idea that came to her when she found out about feather work among the pre-Hispanic Purépecha (or Tarascans). Other innovations include combining cotton with rayon-silk stripes for the body of the rebozos.

She has won three “Special” awards, one at a National Contest in FONART and two at Domingo de Ramos in Uruapan. She also placed First at the Day of the Dead in Pátzcuaro. Fomento Cultural Banamex honored her with a "Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art" Distinction.

Her five daughters also weave and together with her son, work on fringes including an innovation of placing glass-beads in the knotted surface.

Contact information:
Miguel Hidalgo #212
Ahuiran, Michoacán
452 521 9019
ciapcim@michoacan.gob.mx

Or contact Marianne Carlson at (01152 from the US) 376 765-7485 or email mariannecarlson@gmail.com