Asociación de Mujeres Artesanas Zoológico Mágico
San Martin de Tilcajete, Oaxaca, Mexico
Impact
The biggest goal of the coop is to preserve the Zapotec culture and value of the artisanal process of making an alebrije, a cultural heritage. The coop is young but is looking forward to growing and generating employment opportunities for women and youth through art.
It was founded by 13 women, a workshop where they give life to each animal they could imagine, a place full of fantasy and art. Each piece is created with their own hands, combining perfect colours which will highlight the wood.
Through Planeterra’s partnership, we connected Asociación de Mujeres Artesanas Zoológico Mágico to travellers who are now able to experience the Zapoteca culture and the making of alebrijes. This additional revenue will increase their income so they are able to grow as a community.
Critical Need
San Martín Tilcajete is a town located in Oaxaca famous for the woodwork created by local artisans. The main piece of Art in the wood workshops is the famous Alebrijes, which are wooden figures that represent different animals of the Zapoteca culture and some of their legends, there are approximately 150 alebrijes artisans.
The alebrijes are a big part of the Oaxacan culture and preservation from generation to generation is very important. Nowadays a lot of different people around Mexico create copies of the original alebrijes and they are sold everywhere, the artisans in San Martin are having a hard time generating enough income and the value of their art has gone down according to the market prices.
Our Involvement
Planeterra has been working together with the women of Zoologico Mágico to find out what are the most pressing needs to be able to host travellers. They needed a bathroom for visitors, as well as to finalize the process of registering their business. Now they are fully registered and have brand-new bathrooms.
