Culture of Carpeting:Oaxaca/Zapotec

Mexican(Oaxaca Zapotec Carpeting)

Centered around the city in Teotilan del Valle a center for weaving since Pre-hispanic days back to the Mexican classic period

Located in the landlocked southern valley beneath Mexico City

This weaving culture existed solely throughout multiple takeovers by various civilizations and tribal groups

The original Zapotecs by the Mixtecs(both of Toltec Mexican origins)

The the Mixtecs by the Aztecs(Mexicas) before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors

These fusions of various cultures spurred already great design motifs further into excellence during the Aztecs reign during the Post Classic period. there is this fusion of different culture that changes stylistic practices

Monte Alban

Centered around ancient city of Monte Alban which was one of the first flourishing places in the valley of Mexico in Pre-Columbian Classic times aside from Teotihuacan and other northeastern places. Previously, the population existed on the lowland east coast in the Olmec heartland with sites like La Venta and San Lorenzo in the Formative period

Eventually we see the combination of all of these graphic and stylistic techniques in the ornament of the structures of the city of Mitla which also thrived during the Classic Period

Finally a friar after the Conquistador's invasion introduced the native people to the foot loom and a more mechanical process for the creation of wool products

They are dyed with traditional animal/vegetabal dies and are flat-woven akin to European tapestry

One of which being the cochineal beetle which is still used today to produce the coloration for red 4

And every color unlike most weaving techniques in on a skein of each different color and the unused show up on the backside

The subject matter of these rugs is usually of an architectural origin including the glyphs fretwork seen on ancient structures, but also later taking influence from the Navajo with its simplistic geometric patterns.

 One can see the use of this item in these paintings of Motecuzohma II greeting Hernan Cortes, and how rugs were without a doubt a luxury item only for the royal and noble unless one weaved a handicraft less superior version for themselves.