Grounding, refreshing, genuine, eye-opening, enriching: These are just a few words that we chose to help explain our experience with the Bii Daüü weaving cooperative in Teotitlán. When we met the Bii Daüü community, the group of people we would be spending the next five days with, none of us really knew what to expect. But as the week unfolded and we started getting into our daily routine- working in the huerto, spending time with our families, and participating in presentations- our eyes were opened to new ideas, and the Bii Daüü experience really started to give us a different perspective. Here are a few of the key things we did during the week, and a few thoughts it raised for all of us.
The Huerto: The huerto was a plot of land owned and managed by Bii Daüü to cultivate crops, mostly used for the natural dyes of their yarn. Each morning, we woke up at 6:30 with the sunrise, ate a light breakfast, and met with the rest of the group at the Bii Daüü Co-op. We would then walk, equipped with tools for the morning work and plastic bags full of fruit, on the winding road outside of the village to the huerto, which was nestled in the valley between the mountains. The walk was one of our favorite parts of the day, the fresh air eliminating the sleep from our bodies, waking up our minds. We would walk on the cobblestone road and it would fade into dirt, houses becoming scarcer, evolving into fields where horses and cows would be grazing. There was a dam that held back a decent sized body of water, the first body of water we had seen in a while. Usually there were birds flying overhead, making their way to unknown destinations. It was a magical experience everyday.
On the first day they gave us a tour of the permaculture-inspired farm. They were growing various crops for their natural dyes, including pipe, marush, petycomb, muitle and nopal crops for the production of cochinilla, just to name a few. They also had a composting toilet and solar panel for their well, as well as different techniques to conserve water, such as trenches and terracing. They also talked about their ambitions and goals for the huerto, including cabañas, a restaurant where they would grow all of the food on-sight, and a store where they can centralize Bii Daüü’s ambitious, inspiring and progressive goals. On that first day we helped with watering plants and prepared a biofertilizer (made by mixing ground garlic, alfalfa, chile, and aloe vera, diluting the mixture in water, and then letting the solution sit for three days before applying it to plants). On the second day the group from Vida Nueva joined us, and we spent the day learning how to make a top-notch compost pile, using chopped up nopales, dry materials such as hay and paper cartons, a lot of manure, soil, and water, and then systematically layering it in a 4 ft. by 4 ft. pile. The idea is to get the pile to heat up so that all of the organisms break down, creating nutrient rich soil for your plants. On Wednesday we applied the biofertilizante to the nopales, watered, weeded, and set up a new irrigation system. John had brought a drip-irrigation system, which is perfect for the dry climate because it cuts down on evaporation of water by applying it directly to the root of the plants. We planted High Mowing beans, melons, and onion seeds that John had brought from Vermont. On Thursday, our last day on the huerto, we applied the biofertilizer, watered the trees, and weeded.
The huerto was an incredible experience for all of us because it taught us the importance of working as one with nature, finding non-chemical alternatives to caring for plants and the earth, and also just taught us a lot about different plants, their importance for the Bii Daüü community, and their importance for the cooperative. It was sad to leave the huerto, but also rewarding. The work we had done was tangible and visible, and something that taught us so much about the importance of caring for the environment. The days were full, leaving us with an accomplished feeling by 10:30, when we would return back to our individual homestays for our second breakfast of the day.
Dying presentation: The cloth dying presentation at Mariano’s house on Monday made us realize that the process of coloring the wool and other fabrics took an incredible amount of patience. Not only did everything have to prepared beforehand, such as the grinding of the cochinilla, or peeling of the muitle leaves, but water had to be prepared in a certain way before the fabrics were introduced. This made us appreciate the hard work the people at the cooperative have to do before they even start the process of weaving, another project that requires hours of work and patience
One of the first steps of the dying process was to use an organic fixant called “alumbre de potasio,” which was added to water to protect colors against leeching or fading. We also got the chance to grind up cochinilla on a mortar and pestal. What a beautiful deep red color! We learned that when placed in different pots, the metal of the pots has different effects on the color of the cochinilla. When added to iron pots, the dye is a purple color, while in other pots it may appear more orange or café. This was a nice little chemistry lesson for all of us!
We also got to rip the leaves off of the muitle plant, which were then added to a pot of water dyed with ground up aníl, or indigo. The muitle plant is added to the indigo because it takes the oxygen out of the water, and long story short gives the indigo that incredible deep indigo color. That’s more chemistry in effect!
After watching and participating in the presentation with Mariano, he told us that he really enjoyed doing this work, regardless if it was a slow process. He said it was because he could work at his own pace, he was his own boss, and he could be close to his friends, his family, and everything else that he loved. This was a beautiful thing to hear, because sometimes it’s hard to find someone that genuinely loves their trabajo.
After the presentation, we had learned a lot about proper ways to dye wool, and good organic plants and products to use to make brilliant, eye-catching colors. Again, the most important thing for the Bii Daüü community is protecting the environment, and using all-natural products.
Weaving presentation: On Wednesday we went to the house of Juan Carlos, who was the Administrative President of the Bii Daüü Cooperative. We learned how to make our own mini-tapetes after a fantastic meal of tamales, tacos dorados, and quesadillas.The process of weaving was long and difficult and made us appreciate the work that the weavers put into every piece. We also did a little weaving on the large looms, which was very intimidating but fun as well.
Tour of the Pueblo: We spent Wednesday afternoon with Fausto and Procoro, who guided our visit to la iglesia, el museo comunitario, y la cuervita. La inglesia is vast in comparison to the homes and people of Teotitlán, and stands resplendently in the center of the village. Inside the church are life-size replicas of saints and beautifully handcrafted candles.
After our quick visit to the church, we made our way through the town Zocaló and into the community museum. The museum was in many ways similar to the one we visited in Santa Ana but we were able to find a deeper meaning in some of the exhibits, as there were detailed written descriptions of each display in Zapoteco, Spanish and English. From the museum, we climbed into the back of Fausto’s red pick up truck for a ride to la cuervita, a sacred area for the people of Teotitlán. La cuervita consists of three levels of a concave rock wall that represent the place of the Gods, the Humans, and the Dead. It is an important place for the people of Teotitlán who gather there every 31st of December to celebrate and make requests for the New Year. Gathered in the level representing the place of the Gods, we listened to Fausto’s astounding words. He spoke of the Zapotec cross of the universe that consists of the light and darkness, the North and South poles and a center. He also explained the belief that bad does not exist, only positive and negative energy between which we must search for equilibrium. Fausto described three types of people to us; those who order others, those who obey and those who do neither because they are able to follow the path of their hearts. When Fausto finished speaking with us we had a delicious snack of mangos, platanos, naranjas, y manzanas. As we left la cuervita, Procoro stopped to give what was left of the fruit to three young shepherd boys playing beneath a tree, which shows the compassion of these people. On Thursday morning, as we finished our work at the huerto, Fausto revisited his talk and reminded us that no one person is capable of changing the world but that if we all do our part and work together, we will make a difference.
Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Comida, Dinner: Comida was a huge aspect of our trip to Teotitlán. When we were told that we would be fed very well, we didn’t realize how much it would actually be! Anywhere from assortments of fruit, to bread, to enormous tlayudas, to hot chocolate, it felt as if we were always stuffed to the brim with delicious traditional food.
But the significance of food for us during our stay was mainly based on how it was tied to the hospitality that the people of Teotitlán showed us. It was a very tangible way in which our host families and the other members of Bii Daüü displayed their generosity and opening of their homes, hearts and families. They always made food for us first and always asked us if we wanted more. They were just so generous with giving that it humbled us and made us feel more comfortable in the homestays.
Another example of their generosity was when we had refrigerio, an afternoon snack that always turned into a large meal that the families would share with all of us students. We would usually have these at other Co-op members’ houses, and they all ended up being very fun and a great time to converse with people.
Food was also a means of reunion and a medium to ask questions. Almost every meal we ate with our homestay families would be an exchange of Spanish or Zapoteco. This gave us the opportunity to practice our Spanish, and listen to the Zapoteco language, an idioma that none of us could understand, but could appreciate with a new curiosity. With comida as the center of our conversations, we learned more about their values and their lives in the pueblo. For a lot of families, their values center around God, love, family, comida, and health.
Another thing to consider is just how much work and energy it takes to make this food. Every day, a family member would go to the market to buy fresh foods, such as fruit, bread, or meat. Some family members even worked in the market in the morning, and others had vegetable gardens and animals in their backyard that they would use to make their own food. This gives an impression of self-sufficiency, and it makes us more grateful for where our food comes from. The experience of eating with our families and watching them cook made us realize even more our profound connection with the Earth and with the food we put into our mouths, and it was beneficial for us to take away the cultural knowledge of the people. On our last day we had a fiesta at 11 am at Lorenzo’s house after our 5:30 am hike (whew!). The food at the fiesta was literally enough for an entire buffet, and was almost entirely vegetarian, which was very considerate for the people who don’t eat meat in our group. We ate empanadas, tlayudas, tostadas, enchiladas, delicious fruit drinks, salad, and to top it all off, a traditional drink called tejate, which is made from maiz and coca. This fiesta really showed us what a central part traditional food has in the lives of the people in Teotitlán, how we are all so connected to the food we eat, and how we can really connect to other people through food.
Homestays/Language Barriers: During our individual home-stays in Teotitlán, all of us spent a lot of time getting to know the families we were staying with. In the city, we spend more time in classes or playing around town, so it was a new experience for us to spend so much time with the family members. It was also a new experience for many to try to speak Spanish at all times, especially during the night when there was more down time. Along with this, many of us faced the challenge of feeling left out of conversations with our families when they would only speak Zapotec at dinner or during other activities. This wasn't necessarily bad, but a learning lesson for all of us. We were all starting to really grasp the Spanish language, so it was a bit of shock not being able to understand conversation between the family.
Despite the language barrier, all of us had incredible experiences with our families. Between playing games to eating with family members to playing with the children, we all learned a lot about how the family structure works, what they like to do on their free time, and how hard they all work to support the family. We realized how genuine these people are, and how open their hearts are. Family is so important here, so we really saw that aspect come into play. They really made us feel apart of their lives and apart of their families.
Tiempo Libre: Aside from a week of amazing time spent in the huerto and in the weaving cooperative, there were other activities that significantly contributed to our overall experience. On Wednesday and Thursday members of the cooperative participated in an informal English lesson, which was lead by our group. These members were so incredibly enthusiastic about learning, and wanted to know the names of everything they worked with, in English of course. We went over sizes, colors, phrases and items that the weaving cooperative may encounter when selling to English speaking tourists. The eagerness to learn was astounding. Everyone was intrigued, excited and smiling. The range in age was also large, as there were members from ages seven to fifty participating. What really stood out was how truly interested and passionate these people were to learn, though they have some access to internet they wanted to hear from us, their new friends.
On Thursday, after our English lesson, we all headed to the cancha to play basketball. Two intense games and our friends were still ready for another game! It was awesome to see Horvacio and Mariano, two middle aged men, shoot hoops like they were in their twenties- boy were they fast! This basketball game felt important to us because it only further demonstrated the genuine hearts of these people. They truly welcomed us into their community and wanted us to be a part of their lives. It was not simply a week of weaving as it was more of a week of engaging and connecting with everyone.
Finally, on Friday at five a.m., the group of thirteen girls and John (Vida Nueva and Bii Dau) woke up to hike Pikáchu, a massive mountain peak in the beautiful valley of Teotitlán. As we carefully ascended this new terrain, our wonderful guides, Jesus (Chucho) and Horvacio, made sure that we learned about the natural landscape -both it's history and it's meaning in the Zapotec language. As we gained elevation, there was a locked fence at the top closing off the summit. Chucho then explained to us that this was because the mountain was communal land and they wanted to know everyone who had access to the summit. They did not want the mountain to be exploited for tourism and did not want people making money off of their land and destroying it.
At the peak, we all ate fruit and watched the sun rise over the mountains as it cast rays of light all over the immense valley, a wonderful memory that all of us will always have and carry with us. We descended that peak feeling so lucky and fortunate to be surrounded by a group of people with genuine hearts, people who had open minds, hands and doors.
After the hike, we had the grand fiesta at Lorenzo’s house. We sang songs, ate a tremendous amount, laughed, and danced together. They made all of us beautiful ‘bolsas,’ or bags, as going away gifts, which was incredibly generous because of the time and materials it must have taken to create them. We all felt very lucky to be in this beautiful, kind, and unique village that had welcomed us so openly.
Leaving Bii Daüü was hard for a lot of us because we all had such amazing, life-changing experiences. Being back in the city was almost culture shock. We didn’t realize how tranquil Teotitlán was until we were back in the city, trying to play Frogger with the cars on the busy streets. Now, we’re getting settled back into our city lives, living with our host families, getting prepared for classes. But what we will never forget is the generosity, open hearts, and warmth that all the people of the Bii Daüü community showed us, and we’ll always remember the new perspectives we gained from this experience. This trip made us all more well-rounded people, and taught us so much about the Teotitlán community.
Thank you to the people of Teotitlán for an incredible experience! We hope to return soon.
Among the many things that we learned during our stay was how central the family is in the production of the alebrijes-while the father and sons carve the figures, the wives and daughters often collaborate in the painting process, making the final product a family creation. While we came into the town with the preconceived notion that what we were studying (the alebrijes) was a craft of mass production for tourists, we came out of the stay realizing how much time and careful artistic consideration goes into each and every piece. We met on Sunday morning to partake in making a breakfast of memelitas together with the community, each and every one of us sad at the prospect of saying good-bye, but comforted by the sincere requests of the families that we return soon and stay with them again. We all look forward to fulfilling this request.
