Multicolored Beaded Bracelet from Mexico 'Deer Totem' Item ID: 2669932267

“I am Angeles Gonzalez, originally from Tuxpan, Jalisco, and I dedicate myself to Wixárika art. For my community, making handicrafts is a tradition, so each one of us knows how to do it. From the age of 6, they instill in you to make crafts because it is part of our culture. They teach us to embroider because we all must wear our typical costume in the traditional festivals that are held in the town and each one must wear their typical clothing. That is why each of us grows up knowing how to do it from a very young age. The first time I made a piece, for example, was when I was 5 years old. I was in kindergarten and I still remember very well my first bracelets and my first embroidery bag made with my hands.

“I made my own accessories but they were only for me; I didn't sell them. When I was 18, I left Tuxpan for Guadalajara to be able to study and when I got there I started selling them to cover my school expenses. It was then that I discovered that I could do a little more, something different or innovative and that I could make a living from my art.

However, I wasn't 100% dedicated to this until I met my husband, who was already part of Novica when I decided to join. My husband is from another town and we didn't meet until I arrived here in Guadalajara, at a student house. Among those students was Miguel. However, we never met because he was studying to be a pilot and I also spent time studying.

“It wasn't until we left that place that we began to hang out more often. We were both studying and it occurred to him to start making bracelets. He quit his job and started making bracelets and everything related to jewelry. However, later, he became more attracted to sculptures and focused more on them.

“We worked little by little and then decided to dedicate ourselves totally to our art. He focused on sculptures and I focused on jewelry. We started with 10 or 15 bracelets, and little by little we began to grow until we had a lot of variety. We also started to investigate and take care of promoting our pieces and making people know us.

“We began to give talks and workshops, and now the schools invite us to participate in the cultural weeks. We dedicate ourselves to preparing a theme and teaching the children, giving them a figure to practice with. We teach them the cultural meaning of the drawings and the entire explanation of the Wixàrika worldview.

“I love to teach, to make known that we have a cultural wealth that is invaluable. I want to share how much beauty we have in Mexico, as a culture that still preserves its practices and customs. I love to spread and teach, for example, that the designs on the bracelets and in everything we do have a cultural meaning.

“What I would most like to see preserved from my culture is the language. I wish it wasn't lost because that's what identifies me and why I feel part of my culture. I wish that children, despite being born in the city, can speak their native language and identify with their roots.

“Currently I have a little boy who is 6 years old and I like to talk to him about where we come from, why we work at this, and I hope that he does not lose the connection with our culture. We speak to him in our language and we explain to him what each thing means. I think we are on the right track, because he suddenly grabs the needle and helps his father put the lines on the figure, and that makes me very happy.”