Cilau and his father, Mariano Valadez, are shown in the photo to the far left. The right hand photo is Mariano and his daughter, exhibiting their work at the 2010 Santa Fe International Folk Art Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

"The Huichol people claim that while embroidering, they listen to the voices of the gods. In this indigenous community, the women who wish to learn this craft must make a pact with the gods; they meet certain religious obligations and the gods, in turn, inspire the combinations of colors and the variety of designs which they embroider, impregnated with profound spiritual meaning.

Perhaps this divine inspiration and the feminine touch explain the fame that Huichol embroidery has achieved, recognized throughout the world for the tiny stitches and their elaborate complicated designs." (The Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art.)

A native of the Santiago Ixcuintla area, the state of Nayarit, Mariano Valadez Navarro stands out for his high-quality embroidered work, highly prized in the US. He also produces string art depicting Huichol religious symbols and narratives.

String art is done over a thin coating of beeswax layed down on a piece of wood or base object. The string is gently pushed and moved into designs as this arduous art begins to take form. Cilau is shown working in the photos to the left and right on a piece of string art.

The outfit worn by Huichol men contains beautiful embroidery, which employs various traditional stitches, outstanding of which is the cross-stitch, both single and double, utilizing either one or two threads. In applying the stitches, the women count the threads of the fabric in order to achieve perfect symmetry. The tighter and more compact the embroidery, the finer the word is considered to be. The designs are inspired by traditional motifs as well as by the world in which the Huichols live.

The Huichol are a tribe of shamans and artists who, for centuries, had lived undisturbed in the rugged Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range in the states of Nayarit and Jalisco, Mexico. They are one of the oldest living traditional people in the Western hemisphere.

Today approximately 8,000 still survive, keeping alive a nature-based and spiritual way of life now long extinct in most parts of the Americas. Due to the encroachment of the modern world, the core of Huichol traditional life is dissolving, and their ability to sustain their cultural identity is in grave danger. Missionaries, tourists lumber companies, agro-chemicals, alcoholism and abandonment of traditions are undermining their ability to prevail. However, there is still hope.

Virtually untouched for centuries, Huichol Indians took refuge from the Spanish conquest in the remote Sierra Madre mountain range. The Huichols have no history of war. Rather than training for war, they train their hearts to open to the healing powers of love and to the celebrations of life through the seasons. Because of this, they are famous for their strong ceremonial tradition, rich mythology and incredible visionary artwork.

Primarily an agricultural people, the Huichols are dependent upon corn, planting their fields along the steep slopes of their mountain homeland. Corn is life for the Huichol Indians. The yearly cycle of preparing the fields, planting, growing, and harvesting the corn is surrounded by religious ceremony, as is all of Huichol life.

Changes for the Huichol began in the 1970s, when good-intentioned government policies attempted to bring Huichol Indians into mainstream society. Roads, airstrips and half-baked social programs were part of the package. In exchange, all the Huichols had to do was leave their indigenous identities and embrace mestizaje - the Spanish-Indian mix that defines the mainstream Mexican identity.

Shows such as Feria Maestros del Arte provide another venue for the Huichols to sell their art and have their work seen by collectors, gallery owners, museums and the locals who live in our area.

In purchasing art from a Huichol Indian, you not only gain a beautiful piece of art, you also assist a dying culture to stand on its own feet by sustaining self-sufficiency. If you have never seen examples of the intricate Huichol beadwork set into beeswax, you are in for a sensory treat. The Huichols make some of the most beautiful art and jewelry you have ever seen. The string art piece to the right is entitled "Visions from the Deer God Kayumari."  

In Mexico:
Galeria Tanana
Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico
cilau_huichol@hotmail.com
(01152 if calling from outside Mexico) 329 191-3889

Or contact Marianne Carlson at 01152 376 765 7485 or email mariannecarlson@gmail.com