backstrap loom
About the material
It is the technique where a tool is used to weave or make a cloth. It is called waist because the tension that is given to the threads to generate a fabric is based on tying one end to the waist, with the help of a tumpline. The other end must be tied to a fixed element, such as a tree, post or column. This tool is usually made of metal or wood and consists of basic elements such as: 2 enjulios, a machete, a heddle rod, a mecapal and moorings. These basic elements are always the same, but more are being added, according to the textile tradition of each region or community.
Location
The waist loom has been used since pre-Hispanic times in Mesoamerica and what was made on it has always been a commercial object of use and exchange, of resistance and identity.
Ensamble Artesano collaborates with artisan groups that are dedicated to the preservation of this technique in states such as Chiapas, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Campeche and Puebla.
Thanks to the allied organizations that strengthen the artisan waist loom groups in Ensamble Artesano
