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Joel and Eden Gonzalez--

traditional weavers of Teotitlan del Valle

Joel Gonzalez Sosa and his son, Eden Gabriel Gonzalez Lazo, represent the depth and strength of the weaving tradition of Teotitlan del Valle.

Joel, born in Teotitlan on May 4, 1951, spent his early childhood caring for the animals that his father grazed on their family lands. At the age of eight  he began to learn how to clean and card wool, spin wool into yarn, dye the yarn using natural colors, and, at age 12, to weave, all from his grandfather. "Aprendi poco a poco," he says, "I learned (weaving) little by little"

Like many children growing up in Mexico at that time, Joel only completed primaria, the first six grades of school. One of things that continues to impress us about Joel is that, despite those relatively few years of education, he has a very active and astute mind. He often surprises us with an English phrase, he prides himself on keeping very accurate accounts, and on being able to perform the calculations needed to adapt a complex design from one size or shape of tapete to another. Joel also has a wide range of interests, and is full of questions about the world outside of Oaxaca and Mexico.

"Me gusta mucho las idomas, la historia, geografia, y aprender de la gente de otros paises," he says--"I like languages, history, geography, and learning about the people of other countries."

In addition to the traditional Zapotec images that Joel has been weaving into tapetes for more than four decades, he is also fascinated by other motifs, for example the Navajo designs that he frequently incorporates into his rugs.

Joel's younger son Eden, born on October 3, 1989, has lived in Teotitlan all of his life. Although he has gone farther in school than his father, Eden also found himself drawn to weaving. Like Joel, Eden began weaving at 12, starting with small rugs and simple designs, and then expanding his craftsmanship, like his father, "little by little." Now, at 19, he considers himself an expert weaver, able to make densely woven, perfectly shaped rugs that can incorporate designs of any degree of complexity. Eden loves to weave tapetes with intricate designs, finding them more challenging and interesting that the simpler rugs that most weavers turn out for the tourist trade.

"Ahora puedo hacer todo," he says--Now I can make anything.

Because most of the rugs that they weave are on consignment at relatively low prices, Joel and Eden normally use some naturally colored yarns plus yarn dyed with artificial colors. However, they are always happy to weave tapetes for aficionados who prefer only natural colors. "One hundred percent natural costs more," explains Joel, "but the results can be very beautiful."

Joel and Eden will be happy to make tapetes to your specifications and ship them to you in the U.S. or Canada. We can vouch for the quality of their work and their reliability.

Joel and Eden can of course reproduce any of the designs shown on this Picassa site, or can work from your photo or design. Friends of ours, for example, have commissioned rugs from them featuring an intricate contemporary labyrinth motif.

The smallest rugs that it makes sense for Joel or Eden to make to order and and ship are 70 cm by 1 meter (27 1/2" by 39 1/2"), and the largest that Joel and Eden can make on their looms are 1.5 meters wide by 2.15 meters long (5' x 7'). (The width is limited by the size of their looms, but they can make rugs that are much longer, for example for a hallway runner).

Prices of course depend on the size of the rug, the intricacy of the design, and whether or not the rug is to be made using only naturally dyed yarn. However, we have always found Joel and Eden's prices very reasonable--significantly less expensive than if you were to buy a rug of similar quality at a store in Oaxaca or Teotitlan, and of course far less expensive than buying a similar rug after it's been imported to the the U.S.

If you are in Oaxaca, or planning a visit, you can find Joel and Eden at their looms in their home/workshop in Teotitlan del Valle, at Avenida Juarez # 43.

Joel's daughter Malu is working on a website that will feature the work of her father and brother. In the meantime, if you are interested in commissioning a rug, hallway runner, or other weaving from Joel or Eden, please send an email to Malu at lu_luluna@hotmail.com, or to us (Jo Ann Wexler and Robert Adler) at sioaxaca@aol.com. We will be happy to facilitate your order.

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