Cecilia Jimenez

"Hello, I am Cecilia Jimenez, originally from San Cristóbal Amatlán, and I specialize in weaving objects with palm leaves. I learned to weave with palm leaves thanks to my mom, and she learned it from my grandmother. So, one of the things that inspires me the most is seeing my grandmother create her pieces with love, dedication, and a lot of emotion. I love working with palm leaves because the process is entertaining, and the result is wonderful. What I like most about dedicating myself to this is being able to create my own pieces and having the ability to make them from scratch. It's something that I'm very passionate about and have a lot of love for, as it's an inherited art. Being self-employed hasn't been easy, however I believe that with a lot of effort and dedication, one can acquire the necessary experience to move forward, doing what we love most and improving thanks to our talent.

"The ideal way to work with palm leaves is to do it in the backyard of the house, provided that the weather conditions are favorable (no wind or cold). I make baskets using a weaving technique (qaipaxatta) in humid weather, while there are no special instructions for making other items like boxes and little animals. In dry weather, it's difficult to work with the square technique (lapaqñi) because the tips of the leaves break. In these conditions, I can only work with the sewing technique (qantetta) using green thread. If it's necessary to work with the square technique (for example, when there are orders to fulfill), I can work in the morning when it's cooler.

"One of the magical things that happens in the craft to which I dedicate my life is that I feel something happens in the interaction between the leaves and the people who weave them. For me, all the objects we create carry a part of the person who made them. If we pay attention to the details and know the artisan's way of working, we could see the relationship between the person and the piece. Familiarity with the artisan's way of working is inseparable from the work they produce. That's why, for me, this craft is one of the most beautiful, as it not only provides work and livelihood to artisans in the community but also a second life to materials from nature, producing useful items for everyday life in a sustainable and planet-friendly manner."