Doña Cecilia learned the art of weaving by sitting on the bare ground with a back strap loom (Patakua in the Purépecha language) while also experimenting with dyeing techniques. Like many other young indigenous women, Cecilia began learning at the early age of eight through the mentorship of her mother.

Cecilia skillfully employs all the processes of weaving including the creation of knotted fringes of silk and rayon. e knotted fringes are special designs that are placed on distinct shawls used in the villages of Ahuirán and Tarécuato.

A er discovering that her ancient pre-hispanic Purépecha ancestors used natural feathers on their rebozos, Cecilia felt compelled to reintroduce the natural feathers on the fringes of the rebozos and became the rst weaver to do so. Together with her ve daughters and son, the Bautista family works on these distinct feathered rebozos.

As with many indigenous artisan communities, the beauty rests in the fact that it is a family practice with no formal business structure, rather, a concept of a familial cooperative.

Rebozos (Shawls)