Playful, joyful, and happy, if your days could go better with a little extra happiness, we’re pretty sure these sheep’s vibrant and colorful tones are your ticket to a big smile! Infusing generations of tradition and inspiration into every cross of its threads, these carefully hand-crafted wool pieces by Artisan Maria Lopez Lopez add the perfect touch to your collection with their warm and fuzzy inspirations.
Details:
This piece is currently not in stock. Once your order is processed, the artisan will receive an order to produce a replica of the item you ordered. Given the handcrafted and artistic nature of their pieces, your purchase may have some variation in color and shape. It is these same variations that make every item unique.
Elaboration times range from 15-20 days.
Measurements:
Small: 8.66" high x 5.51" wide x 10.24" long
Weight:
Small: 0.66 lbs
It was the Spaniards who brought sheep to Mexico, where they were not known. They left some around the Altos de Chiapas Zone, and the presence of these animals had its effect in the inhabitants of this area; the Tzotzil people. Nowadays, Tzotzil women still breed and shepherd these sheep to grow their wool and turn it into beautiful typical garments, because these sheep are revered and held as sacred creatures.
To counter the cold of the mountains, the inhabitants of San Juan de Chamula, Chiapas, weave traditional clothes and attires by hand in a most artisanal and ancestral manner, producing “Naguas” (skirts) for women and “Chuis” (Shirts) for the town’s men.
Women in the region traditionally used to make rag dolls, it was around the start of the 90’s that they started to do Zapatista-Soldier-inspired dolls, some of them riding their horses, afterwards, they started crafting different animals with the same wool, made with threads and woven into several pieces of clothing using traditional backstrap looms. Using some spare colorful pieces of the same Wool, they craft heartwarming animals such as cats, monkeys, lions, roosters, and elephants among many others! Once the figures’ exterior is fully knit, its stuffed with fibers and closed with colorful acrylic threads, which usually match the hues of the long and thick manes and tails of these charming creations.
Maria Lopez LopezMaria Lopez Lopez was born in the town of Chamula and moved to San Cristóbal de Las Casas when she was barely 10 years old. In the 1970s, lots of people that converted from Catholicism to several other evangelical religions, were forced to leave their communities: Approximately 45000 people from several counties established themselves in areas surrounding San Cristóbal de las Casas, forming new colonias.Traditionally, women from Chamula used to make rag dolls, which eventually turned into Zapatista-army inspired pieces around the start of the 1990s, as well as animal inspired pieces commonly known as Chui. Wool tunics started being made, ranging from neutral tones, up to more colorful inspired offerings. Nowadays the traditional technique of weaving the exterior and filling the pieces afterwards is still used.
Maria Lopez Lopez has five children and is already passing her knowledge to be preserved by them and go into the next generations.
Starting in the 2000s, MarIa learned new patterns to weave from a friend, and started crafting playful and ornamental wool animals. All of these animal pieces were sown with Acrylic thread that made for high contrast with its bright colors, she also added long and thick manes and tails to her creations.
Her pieces are sold very rarely, and in few stores, one can easily recognize María’s pieces by their quality and designs, completely different from most animal-inspired pieces that are sold in the Santo Domingo Market.
Maria usually crafts her pieces in three different sizes, her smallest pieces range from 4 to 6 inches, medium pieces can go up to around 23 Inches, while the largest pieces can go up to 26 inches tall.
