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Past Swing Space Artist Mary Teresa Giancoli presents “Cuetzalan: City of Magic” at Mamá Art Cafe
"Cuetzalan: City of Magic" is a photographic exploration of women weavers and the Feria de Huipil in Mexico.
Swing Space Artist Mary Teresa Giancoli was inspired by photographing Mexican dance practices in New York, so she traveled to Cuetzalan, Mexico, nestled in the high sierras, to see their origins. Mary visited women weavers in their homes, who shared moments from daily life. Esperanza and her cohorts of the Maseualsiauamaej (Nahuatl for women working together) make and sell weavings in two markets.
Esperanza showed her waist loom and offered the sweetest maracuya fruit from her garden. The Maseual send their daughters to compete for the Queen of the Huipil in October to honor the goddess of flowers. Named for the Quexqueme woven headdress worn atop their head and embroidered dress, the Feria de Huipil celebrates dance and ancestral and spiritual customs.
Bearing witness to these customs was transformative and a testament to women’s empowerment, ancestral beliefs, cultural traditions, access to land and the power of micro-business.
The exhibit will take place between September 8 and October 13 at San Francisco's Mamá Art Cafe.
