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TEOTITLAN, OAXACA, MEXICO - JULY 22: Fidel Guitierrez washes wool before his mother dyes it. His father, Javier Gutierrez Hernandez, is a weaver and uses the wool to make rugs using a loom that has been passed through the family for several generations. Teotitlan is famous for its weavings called âlaadiâ in Zapotec, with textiles as the main economic activity. These rugs can have native indigenous motifs or more modern designs. This community is known for its woven wool rugs which use natural dyes such as those obtained by the cochineal insect, however, many weavers have begun to use artificial dyes instead, as they are cheaper and faster to use. Weaving in this village dates back at least until 500 BCE. TeotitlÃ¡n would pay its financial tribute to the Aztecs in weavings. The rugs became very popular with American tourists in the 1950s and 60s, and demand boomed, giving the town the economic base it currently enjoys. Photo by Sara Naomi Lewkowicz/Getty Images Reportage

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