Echoes of Yesterday: An Art of Tomorrow
Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo: ancestral techniques that are preserved
Artisan of the Loo’l Pich Collective in the community of X-Pichil, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (2023-09-02) by Antonio MuñozSecretaría de Cultura
Community
In the community of X-Pichil, in the heart of Quintana Roo, Amanda Tah Arana and the Loo'l Pich collective revive the legacy of embroidery of past generations.
Artisan of the Loo’l Pich Collective in the community of X-Pichil, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (2023-09-02) by Antonio MuñozSecretaría de Cultura
Machinery of yesteryear
Through old pedal machines and the study of other embroidery techniques that have been transmitted from generation to generation, the collective has achieved a resurgence of its history.
Embroidery from the Loo’l Pich Collective in the community of X-Pichil, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (2023-09-02) by Antonio MuñozSecretaría de Cultura
Rescued techniques
Bak bi chuy, kulpach chuy, jujun ts'íib, ka'atúul ts'íib are some of the 20 techniques that Amanda and the Loo'l Pich collective have rescued and transmitted to the youngest members of the community.
Loo’l Pich Collective in the community of X-Pichil, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (2023-09-02) by Antonio MuñozSecretaría de Cultura
Living heritage
For the Loo'l Pich collective, these techniques transcend art on fabric; they go hand in hand with family stories, with the language of their grandmothers and grandfathers. They are stories about their roots and the formation of the community in which they live.
Loo’l Pich Collective in the community of X-Pichil, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (2023-09-02) by Antonio MuñozSecretaría de Cultura
Reverence for their history
Amanda shares customs that Loo'l Pich follows faithfully, such as not embroidering on Sundays, a curious legacy of her grandmothers that they maintain with respect today.
Artisan of the Loo’l Pich Collective in the community of X-Pichil, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (2023-09-02) by Antonio MuñozSecretaría de Cultura
Living memories
Among the gems rescued by the collective, there shines the "x-manikte," which means "always alive."
Perpetual stories
Elsewhere, it is known as "X'manikbeen", and evokes the idea of perpetuity.
Embroidery from the Loo’l Pich Collective in the community of X-Pichil, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (2023-09-02) by Antonio MuñozSecretaría de Cultura
Family wisdom
Amanda recalls the words of her great-grandmother: the "X'manikbeen" vanished, because, when evoking the scales of a snake, many believed that it carried a bad omen.
Embroidery from the Loo’l Pich Collective in the community of X-Pichil, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (2023-09-02) by Antonio MuñozSecretaría de Cultura
Reverse engineering
Thanks to the discovery of a piece of inherited fabric, Amanda and the collective unlocked the secrets of the x-manikte by unraveling it. Today, this technique is being revived in Quintana Roo, an ancestral legacy rekindled from the heart of Loo'l Pich.
Embroidery from the Loo’l Pich Collective in the community of X-Pichil, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (2023-09-02) by Antonio MuñozSecretaría de Cultura
Rescuing the color of the earth
That is not the collective's only project. Together with UNESCO, Loo'l Pich is embarking on a crucial project: rescuing the use of natural dyes.
Loo’l Pich Collective in the community of X-Pichil, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (2023-09-02) by Antonio MuñozSecretaría de Cultura
Paths of life
Under the mantle of Loo'l Pich, the ancestral techniques of embroidery are reborn, and unite the past with the present. With echoes of their grandmothers and grandfathers, they explore and preserve the techniques of the past to give them a future.
Artisan of the Loo’l Pich Collective in the community of X-Pichil, Quintana Roo, Mexico. (2023-09-02) by Antonio MuñozSecretaría de Cultura
