Colours and designs at the market
El colorido es lo que atrae a la gente
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At the Benito Juárez market in Oaxaca you can buy everything from Chapulines and Mezcal to hats, shoes and crafts.
Hear Rosa from Teotitlán del Valle tell about the traditional designs and colours made from vegetable dye and hear about how she spends her time when there are no customers.
Vocabulario al capítulo
- Sustantivos
adolescencia f
artesanía f
bordado m
color m
dibujo m
escalón m
etapa f
grana cochinilla (see below)
granada f
hierba f
hoja f -
niñez f
nuez f
rama f
raíz f
tapete m
tono
árbol m
Verbos
aburrirse
atraer
bordar
dedicarse -
desarrollarse
desestresarse
enseñar >< aprender
faltar
nacer
trabajar
vender >< comprar
Adjetivos y otros
aburrido
cansado
igual
oscuro >< claro
Vegetable dye and the Cochineal bug
Grana cochinilla – the Cochineal bug
From the Cochineal bug you obtain a beautiful red color that is highly popular. The bugs 'grow' on the Nopal Cactus and are harvested through an elaborate process and was called "Oaxaca's Red Gold". It was an important source of income for New World and was exported worldwide to countries in both Europe and Asia.
Más sobre...
Como hacer grana cochinilla
Vegetable dye and traditional designs:
Teotitlán del Valle is known for their beautiful natural colours and designs. See also the video on the next page: Cada familia tiene su estilo.
You use the plants that grow in the region to dye, so in Chiapas for instance, they use other vegetable dyes to obtain the colour. See also the chapters on Carlos Reyes and his project:
Hasta en la calle he teñido and
Las Tejedoras felices de Pantelhó.
Or hear the young weaver Petrona Patishtón tell about her work and knowledge of vegetable dyes in Petrona de San Juan Chamula.
Benito Juárez (1806-1872)
El Mercado Benito Juárez is named after Benito Pablo Juárez who came from a Zapotec family. He was the president of Mexico (1855-64 and 1867- 72) and by many Mexicans he is considered to be one of Mexico's most popular leaders.