From Santa Ana Zegache, Oaxaca, which was almost a ghost town, sprang a community converted and dedicated to the struggles against its own reality. Every inhabitant has three to four relatives who, due to lack of work, went north in search of the American dream or at least human dignity. Today, Zegache is one of many Oaxacan towns in which the few who remain wait and work hard to change their lives in their homeland.

Zegache continues to be rooted in its traditions and customs. It is fortunate to have a 17th Century Dominican church holding an artistic and historic legacy in its interior. Mural paintings from different eras cross over its walls, 12 Baroque altarpieces from the 18th Century, two holy-water fonts held by majestic angels of gold-and-silver-covered stone, a collection of mirrors with estofado (a technique by which color is brushed over gilded wood or metal and then scratched off in order to reveal the gold underneath) frames, antique manuscripts from the 17th-19th Centuries, a large number of highly aesthetic religious paintings and sculptures.

The master painter, Rodolfo Morales, saw Zegache as being invaluable. He dedicated the last part of his life to recuperating and restoring its church. However, he never saw all of the ideas motivating his philanthropic vision — to preserve its artistic heritage and revive the region's former vocations — completed. Sr. Morales died in 2000.

He created the Zegache Community Workshops to benefit its villagers. At the project's initial stages, he was able to provide the townswomen with a vocation which would make them responsible for taking care of the town's legacy. By saving the architectural elements and artistic surfaces, they also participated in restoring the town's essence, its function as a spiritual, social and cultural center.

Despite many obstacles, the Zegache Community Workshops were reactivated in 2004. With help from the Alfredo Harp Helú Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, La Curtiduría and Mr. and Mrs. Sandretto, they increased their membership. Today, both men and women attempt to sensitize Zegache's inhabitants to the love of and care for what is theirs. In the face of changing governments and power abuse, they have recuperated the richness lost over the years and conserved the cultural worth of their culture.

In order to raise funding to restore the nine altarpieces still in need of rescue, the project has reproduced for sale approximately 50 mirror styles based on their 18th Century originals. Originally, the mirrors were hung in the church for illumination. The mirror is very significant in Zegache culture and originates during pre-Hispanic times with Tezcatlipoca (smoking mirror). The god of night used a mirror to look at men's hearts; later, the Christian tradition deemed the mirror a symbol of spirituality. In Catholics, the mirror is also related to a divinity which reflects humans' imperfection.

In 2000, Demián Flores joined the Zegache Project, inviting 25 contemporary Mexican artists with recognized artistic careers to freely modify one of the 18th Century frame replicas.

Vocations have been revived through this project: mural and easel painting restoration, wood carving, carpentry, application of gold and silver leaf, as well as hand embroidery (by local craftswomen). In this last category, the older women of the village participate enthusiastically, working from their homes, where they create cushions with the designs of these beautiful mirrors.

In addition to mirrors, reproductions of implements such as shown below are made for resale.

Contact information:
Mario Casimiro Tellez
Morelos Norte S/N
Cuanajo, Michoacán
434 343-1493

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