New Artist: Weaving a life on a back-strap loom

One of the new artists at this year's Fair will be Ma. Trinidad González García, who tells us that the back strap loom was part of her life long before she was born.

Her mother and grandmother dedicated their lives to weaving to support the family. For this reason, her mother taught Trinidad and her three sisters the art of weaving from a very early age. When she was 10 years old, Trinidad began weaving ayates, rebozos and huipiles.

 

Thanks to this craft, Trinity and her sisters and brothers were able to study and complete a university education. Trinidad graduated as a veterinarian. However, unlike her sisters and brothers, she was the only one who decided to return to her roots.

For some years, she dedicated herself to her profession, but she never abandoned the threads and the loom, sometimes for additional income and sometimes just for the pleasure of creating. Sitting down to weave always made her feel more complete, more creative and more connected to the community.

Little by little, she began to notice that the loom made her feel more alive. She gave up her career and went back to weaving full time.

In 2013, with the support of her family, they opened their first Domitzu Handicrafts store, a family business dedicated to making handicrafts on the back strap loom. With a reputation for quality, the business grew and eventually added another store. Now, not just a family business, they are a social enterprise in which the community participates.

The loom has become one of Trinidad's most important treasures because it has brought some of the most satisfying experiences of her life. Not only has weaving given her the opportunity to win state and national awards, present lectures and give courses, it has also given her new dignity as an artisan and will leave an incredible legacy for her daughter.

The "Domitzu Handicrafts" team currently has 10 women: 7 artisans, 2 seamstresses and 1 designer, some weave full-time and others give free classes to community members. They are one of the few families that preserve the technique of "tres alzaderas" or "doble vista", techniques that, due to their complexity, are in danger of extinction.

The revitalization of the use of the back strap loom has allowed them to understand their identity as part of the people of Hñahñu, which, at the same time, has led them to acquire the commitment to preserve the trade.

The group has won many awards, among them:

• Third place in the National Grand Prize of Popular Art in 2015 in Mexico City,
• First Place in the Contest of Vegetable Fibers in 2015 in Campeche, Campeche,
• Third place in the National Grand Prize of Popular Art in 2018, Mexico City.

Winning awards has become a family tradition. Trinidad's mother, Martina Garcia, has won the Presidential Grand Masters Award for Popular Art and her daughter, Frida Diaz, has won First Place in Mexico's Young Creators of Popular Art Contest.