Teotitlán del Valle – Near Oaxaca
Teotitlán del Valle was originally a Zapotec village, Zapotec is still widely spoken by many of the villagers and Zaptec culture is still strongly felt; in fact Teotitlán del Valle gets its name from a Nahuatl word meaning ‘Place of the Gods’.Teotitlán is most famous for its hand-woven textiles, principally rugs and it has many families who make their living from selling them. A more detailed description of the rugs and the weaving process can be found under ‘textiles’ on the ‘handicrafts’ section of our site. Follow this link to read about Teotitlán’s rugs now.
Teotitlán has a church (Preciosa Sangre de Cristo) that is built on top of a Zapotec temple, of which some of the remains are still visible and there is a small archaeological site to one side of the church. Teotitlán also has a small museum that is dedicated to Teotitlán’s textile industry, a section dedicated to traditional wedding ceremonies, and another section dedicated to the ‘Feather Dance’ (Danza de la pluma), which is a traditional dance of the Valles Centrales.
Teotitlán also has a small local market which is in truth two markets, one for food and daily goods, and another for textiles. Teotitlán also has a small dam and reservoir at the back of the village on the dirt road that leads to the village of Benito Júarez and the other ‘Pueblos Mancomunados’.
Teotitlán is well worth a visit and it is possible to see a live demonstration of the weaving process and also how the artisans prepare and colour the yarn that they use to make the rugs.
Follow this link to read more about Teotitlán del Valle.
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The Things to do in Oaxaca Team ☺
A map of Teotitlán del Valle
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