Masterclass: Amuzgo Backstrap Weaving
Over the course of two days, you will learn the art of backstrap weaving from Gabina Valentín López, an indigenous master weaver from Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero, Mexico. While weaving, we will also explore Amuzgo textile culture and traditional symbolism.
PRACTICAL INFO
Date & Time 24 & 25 October, 10.00 - 17.00
Location Papegaaisbolwerk 20, Leiden
Level Beginners and advanced weavers
Language English and Spanish
The Program
During this two-day hands-on masterclass, you will learn how to set up the warp on a backstrap loom, weave traditional Amuzgo motifs using plain weave and the brocade weft technique, and explore the cultural meanings embedded within these symbolic patterns. Working with fine cotton yarns naturally dyed with Mexican plants, you will create a woven sample while discovering the close relationship between technique, material and cultural identity. The course is given by master weaver Gabina Valentín López and founder of TuYo Foundation Inês Queirós. For those who like there is the opportunity to get a tour through the atelier of Leidse Deken.
MATERIALS INCLUDED
Handcrafted backstrap loom to take home
Naturally dyed cotton yarns
Traditional weaving tools
Amuzgo motif reference sampler
The Loom
More than a weaving tool, the backstrap loom is a living cultural practice. Used throughout Mesoamerica since pre-Hispanic times, it has enabled generations of Indigenous women to create textiles while preserving stories, knowledge and identity through cloth. Lightweight and portable, the loom weighs less than 500 grams and measures under 46 cm, allowing it to be easily transported and used almost anywhere.
Each loom used during the masterclass is handcrafted by Gabina and her family in Xochistlahuaca. At the end of the masterclass you will take your loom home so you can continue practising and deepening your knowledge of this ancestral tradition long after the masterclass has ended.
The Amuzgo Culture
The Amuzgo (Ñomndaa) people of Xochistlahuaca, in the state of Guerrero, are internationally recognised for one of Mexico’s most remarkable living textile traditions. For generations, weaving has been practised primarily by women, with techniques, symbols and stories transmitted orally from mothers and grandmothers to younger generations.
Creating a single textile may take weeks, months or even a year, making every piece a unique expression of its maker. Woven motifs depict the natural world, ancestral beliefs, personal histories and the cultural memory of the community. Beyond their aesthetic beauty, these textiles embody a living system of knowledge that continues to play an essential role in the social, spiritual and economic life of the Amuzgo people.
The teachers
Gabina Valentín López is an Amuzgo master weaver from Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero, on Mexico’s Costa Chica. She began weaving at the age of nine under the guidance of the women in her family, learning the traditional techniques and symbolic language of her community. Following a period of migration to Mexico City, weaving became a way of maintaining her connection to her cultural roots. Today, she is dedicated to preserving and sharing Amuzgo textile traditions, working closely with women weavers from her community and presenting their work throughout Mexico. In 2024, she was awarded the Galardón Nacional de Textil, one of Mexico’s highest honours for traditional textile artisans, recognising her outstanding contribution to the preservation of Indigenous textile heritage.
Inês Queirós is a Portuguese textile artist, researcher and founder of TuYo Foundation. Her practice explores textiles as vehicles for cultural memory, storytelling and social exchange, with a particular focus on preserving endangered textile traditions and natural dyeing practices. Through long-term collaborations with artisan communities, she develops projects that support the transmission of ancestral knowledge while creating new opportunities for cultural exchange. During the workshops, Inês will serve as translator and facilitator, supporting the dialogue between participants and Gabina throughout the learning process.
TuYo Foundation
TuYo Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to preserving and promoting ancestral textile traditions while supporting Indigenous communities through ethical practices. Its primary initiative, based in Xochistlahuaca, Mexico, partners with Amuzgo weavers to develop community-led projects that foster cultural continuity and sustainable livelihoods. TuYo envisions a future where textile communities thrive economically while safeguarding their rich cultural heritage.