Get to Teotitlan del Valle from the city of Oaxaca. You have three options. You can take a public bus, a collective taxi or hire a taxi. Some people visit via a tour package, but then they lack the freedom to wander and discover different artisans. Most tour companies only take visitors to places that have paid the company a commission. Collective taxis jam a minimum of five people in the cab, unless you pay extra. You typically can only catch them a preassigned locales, such as the collective taxi stands at the Abastos market. Your goal is to get to Benito Juarez, the principal road leading into town.
Visit the artisans' studios, markets and homes. Typical for Mexican villages, many craftspeople work and live in adjoining spaces. Feel free to approach the front door and ask, "Puedo pasar?" or "May I come in?" To enter these homes is to learn about a family's life and history, because the craft of weaving by hand has been passed down for generations in Teotitlan del Valle, dating back to 500 BC.
Watch weaving in progress. There are over 100 places you can visit, and many of the artists are happy to answer questions and engage in live demonstrations of their craft. If you find one of the handful of weavers who use all-natural dyes, this is a fascinating lesson in the transformation of indigo plant, lichens, pecans, cochineal insects, and other organic materials into dyes that create brilliant weaving. Many designs integrate Zapotec iconography.
Learn about the village. While exploring artists' homes, you can also visit Teotitlan del Valle's craft market. Across from the market is one of Oaxaca's many community museums. Balla Xtee Guedchi Gulal has rotating and permanent displays dedicated to handicrafts and archaeological objects. A great spot to stop for lunch is Tlamanalli, operated by the Mendoza sisters, which serves homemade Zapotec slow food.
Compare your finds with vintage weaving. Back in the city of Oaxaca, the Museo Textil de Oaxaca displays a stunning collection of vintage textiles in a converted 18th-century convent. Amidst walls of green cantera stone, stained glass windows, original remnants of frescoes, the dome of a small chapel and archways, the textiles are a testament to a centuries-old tradition, in Teotitlan del Valle, in Mexico, and around the world.
