Zapotec Rugs Generate Genuine Southwest Design

Zapotec rugs are gorgeous hand-made rugs by the Zapotec Indians from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. These hand-made rugs are famous around the world for their great quality, bright colors, and classic design. Colorful rugs are a wonderful decorating accessory for use in rustic homes and cabins, southwest style homes, or wherever you would like to enhance color and elegance. They work wonderfully when used as traditional floor rugs, and also make great Native style wall tapestries for enhanced design on your walls. As with the Navajo rug of the United States, Zapotec rugs make it simple to achieve great Native design style throughout the rooms of your home.

Studying the background of Zapotec rug making gives you a full appreciation of the long hours of weaving rugs. The Zapotec Indians, a people with a prehistoric past and no known records of migration, believed themselves to be born of the trees, and rocks and other things found in nature and their land. They were mainly farmers until after the Spanish conquest during the 1500s, when they were introduced to new forms of weaving by the Spanish. Along with the weaving loom, the Spanish brought the first European sheep to Mexico and taught the Zapotec the weaving process. The state of Oaxaca is where the world-famous rug making began and still continues today.

The bright colors and patterns are the first thing you will observe about Zapotec rugs. Although some rug artists have started to use more modern types of dyes, many still use the traditional and natural elements from the area to dye their wool. If you happen to pass by the workshop of an Oaxacan rug weaver throughout the day, you might see them dying wool in big pots of beautiful colored dye, outside on an open fire. Some of the materials used to dye the wool are derived from nature. One of the most interesting dyes they use is derived from the cochineal, an insect known to the area. After drying the insect, it is then pulverized to make a beautiful scarlet dye.

Often the whole family is involved in the business of rug weaving, with each person having a part in the production of a beautiful rug. The wool undergoes the process of washing, dying and spinning before the weaving process begins. You will find it very fascinating that each rug has a one-of-a-kind design and is a beautiful masterpiece of the artist. The fact that no two rugs have the same design is one of the reasons that make these rugs very popular. Zapotec rugs are ideal for Native American art collectors that like one-of-a-kind pieces, or for those who appreciate Indigenous arts and crafts and rustic home decor.

No matter how you decide to use your Indian rug, whether as an elegant floor rug, or as a Native style wall hanging or tapestry, you will certainly value the beauty and craftsmanship of these Indian rugs. With so many styles and colors to choose from, you will easily find the best style to match your decor. Although you might see Zapotec rugs or similar style southwest rugs in home decor stores, you will probably find better deals online. Add great character to your southwestern or rustic decorating style, with the unique design and quality that is distinctive of Zapotec rugs.

Article Source: http://myarticlezine.com

Craig Chambers is the director of Mission Del Rey and author offering free information online about choosing Zapotec rugs for unique Native decor. For more information visit www.missiondelrey.com

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