San Bartolome Ayautla is a bueatiful Mazatec village where traditional costume and huipils are still worn by many women. The huipil is heavily embroidered and adorned with ribbons. The tropical setting is a real Oaxacan wonder.
Bob Freund 11/4/2005 For more information contact: info@mexicantextiles.com

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San Bartolo Ayautla is on a newer paved road between Huautla de Jimenez and Jalapa de Diaz, Oaxaca. It is close to the enormous lake Miguel Aleman, formed when two dams were built. The area surrounded by incredible views and canyons because of the location of the road, it is often affected by landslide. Ayautla is a small village with this wonderful paved street going through it. The climate is very hot and humid so it was like walking in a tropical paradise. The vegetation was so rich and the houses had many flowers planted around them the air was full of fragment odors. After buying some embroidery, these two women posed for me. These huipil are example of a changing culture, the bands of ribbons are very wide while other huipils in the town wore narrower ribbons. On a trip in 2001, when I arrived, the store owner announced over a loud speaker that I was there to buy huipils and about 10 people showed up with huipils to sell. The huipil shown in the gallery is the one I purchased. What is interesting is that the entire huipil is embroidered, even under the ribbons.
The center of the village was orderly with a few people walking into town to buy things at the stores. The church was in good condition. In the bottom image there are two women walking in town. About 60% of the women that I saw were wearing huipils (2001). All spoke Mazatec and most spoke Spanish also.