AMATENANGO DEL VALLE, BETWEEN MUD JAGUARS AND BACKSTRAP LOOMS
The name Amatenango means in Nahuatl "fortified place of the amates". The group of Tzeltal people that originally formed the town settled in the municipality during the Classic period of the pre-Hispanic era. In 1486 it was invaded by Aztec troops under the command of Tiltototl. After the conquest of Chiapas (1528) it is cited as belonging to Teopisca, but by the end of the 16th century it had become a town in its own right.
The women in Amatenango del Valle, Chiapas, have known since they were children how to work the clay very well, but also the backstrap loom and how to make tortillas by hand. Without a potter's wheel, the women of Amatenango del Valle have been learning to work with clay and the backstrap loom since they were children. With the clay they make doves, roosters, lamps, vessels and bowls. With the looms, they make authentic works of art capable of belonging to the collection of any museum.
Any visitor who visits the Church of San Lorenzo does not have to wait long, for sure he will soon receive an invitation to any house to see what happens around a backstrap loom. If you peek into the house of any of them, you will discover intricate silk and cotton blouses. Tablecloths, cushions, bedspreads, bags and rebozos are piled everywhere. There is no shortage of people making tortillas by hand in the kitchen, while the wind moves purple flowers in the backyard of one of the houses in Amatenango del Valle.
