My Love for San Juan Chamula Pompoms.
How amazing are the colors of our amazing pompoms there One of the many things we carry at the shop we have garlands , key chains jewelry is just amazing the variety of things they make and we only carry some of there amazing craft this family makes everything pompom related that we carry are made by this Family from San Juan Chamula, Chiapas Mexico.
This is definitely a family affair I always love hearing stories how they started very young with there parents and there parents started with there parents and so on here are some pictures MR.Salvador and Mrs Martha Hernandez and there niece.
They have there own work stands where they go sell there colorful pompoms that they mainly create from home.
A Little History about pompoms.
The Inca used colorful pom poms as ceremonial pieces, which were added to clothing. To this day, indigenous women wear pom poms on their traditional hats and at the end of their braided hair. The artisans are Inspired and have adapted the ancient Inca tradition of decorative pom poms. Artisans use ethically sourced and local, hand-dyed wool to make pom pom accessories. , the hair is dyed using vibrant colors. The hair is once again washed of any excess dye and sun-dried for one to two days. Once the desired color is reached, the artisans thoroughly brush the hair to reach maximum softness. The artisans separately makes a mold out of flexible cardboard. They then cut small segments of the hair and hand-glue it onto the mold in small sections. Once dry, the pom poms are looped into a string of braided wool to create the colorful, soft garland pompoms necklaces and much more . We love working with artisans that keep Mexico traditions alive as they create these beautiful colorful work of art.
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A Little bit of History of San Juan Chamula
San Juan Chamula is a town in the Mexican state of Chiapas . It is located ten kilometers from San Cristóbal de las Casas and twelve kilometers from San Andrés Larráinzar . San Juan and San Andrés are localities inhabited by a large number of Tzotziles . Chamula is a name used to name various Mayan ethnic groups that inhabit the Chiapas highlands: tzotzil , tzeltal , mame , tojolabal , choles . San Juan Chamula is also the capital of the municipality of Chamula and is located in the highest areas of Chiapas. Prehispanic cultures and customs have been preserved in the town.
Very close to San Cristobal de las Casas , Chiapas, you will find two mystical towns, San Juan Chamula and Zinancantán, where the prehispanic tradition is mixed with the Christian faith, making these communities an ethereal experience between magic and mysticism.
San Juan Chamula is a Tzotzil community, of pre-Hispanic origin whose name means "thick water", like adobe; it comes from Nahuatl shamitl, adobe; muli, thick and ath, water.
It is famous for the carnival festivity that is celebrated annually, during which it is danced in the five lost days of the ancient Mayan calendar.
The main town of that municipality that exercises its authority based on the uses and customs, is located at 2,300 meters above sea level, 10 km northwest of San Cristóbal de las Casas. There is the seat of authority and the place where religious syncretism gives its maximum expression: the temple of San Juan Bautista, where it is strictly forbidden to take pictures inside.
Three neighborhoods make up this Tzotzil ceremonial center, located in a valley chosen, according to tradition, by San Juan himself. Not only the hills mark the sacred spaces but also the crosses, whose deep meaning mixes the Christian tradition with the pre-Hispanic roots.
If you visit San Juan Chamula, we recommend you NOT to take pictures without the consent of its inhabitants.
Zinacantán, "Place of bats" is located 18 km from San Cristobal de las Casas, following the Pan-American Highway, in a flowery valley surrounded by hills.
The road that leads to it goes through the work of Esquipulas, a beautiful example of the rural architecture of the Highlands where the truce of the Castas war was signed in 1869.
It continues bordering the foot of Cerro Huitepec, where an ecological reserve has been established with trails to appreciate the flora and fauna typical of the temperate regions of Chiapas.
For the Zinacantecos the flowers are very important, because apart from being used in their religious ceremonies, they represent a good source of income; they grow gannets, carnations, roses, chrysanthemums, pompoms, etc. that they sell in the markets of the tropical regions. Another product that is sold is salt and it is common to find sellers of this product.
Photos Courtesy of Roberto Marina