Saving a Centuries-Old Artform
It takes six weeks to create a sarape. The Favorita Sarape School (La Escuela del Sarape La Favorita) strives to ensure that the tradition of sarape lives on for centuries to come
Lana colgada para secar al sol en la Escuela del Sarape "La Favorita" (2025-10-28) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
The first step
Every sarape starts off as dirty wool. This needs to be washed with warm water and skeined by hand. The wool comes from different parts of Mexico and around the world, and each source has a distinct texture. "Here, the process of making such fine thread has been lost," explains Rubén Tamayo.
Retrato de Héctor Gerardo Tamayo Sánchez trabajando en el taller de Juan Rubén Tamayo Sánchez (2025-10-28) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
The alchemy of color
Dyeing is both science and magic. With aniline dyes, you know exactly what color you'll get. With natural dyes, each skein is a surprise yielding "previously unknown colors." Héctor Gerardo Tamayo is one of the best dyers.
Detalle de trabajo en el taller de Juan Rubén Tamayo Sánchez (2025-10-28) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Spooling: rhythm first
Before weaving, first you have to wind the yarn: roll the dyed wool onto bobbins, which will then feed the loom. It's repetitive, meditative work.
Detalle de trabajo en el taller de Juan Rubén Tamayo Sánchez (2025-10-28) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Warp: the base
With 4,800 cotton threads counted by hand, the warp forms the base of the sarape. It is mounted on the pedal loom with perfect tension. One mistake here and the whole piece fails. The diamond, the borders: everything stems from this base.
Retrato de Francisco Javier Reyes Luna, Director de la Escuela del Sarape "La Favorita" (2025-10-28) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
A piece measuring just over one yard by two yards takes three weeks to weave. But weaving isn't a continuous process. It's a decision: this shade or that one? Looser or tighter? Each shuttle pass is a choice.
"We work for up to six, seven, eight hours." "Whenever we start with particular enthusiasm, 10 hours," says Juan Rubén Tamayo Sánchez.
Detalle de trabajo en el taller de Juan Rubén Tamayo Sánchez (2025-10-28) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Fringes: the final signature touch
Fringes involve tying knots at the ends so that the sarape doesn't fray. It is also decorative. Then comes cleaning, shaving, and cutting loose threads. Six weeks on from initial washing, the sarape comes to life. "No two pieces are ever alike."
Detalle de trabajo en el taller de Juan Rubén Tamayo Sánchez (2025-10-28) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
The result: a piece of art laden with centuries of knowledge
An authentic sarape does not have a front and back. The two sides are identical. The diamond, the little-hand flower and the plant-shaped borders are all centuries-old iconography. This is what is on the cusp of being forgotten. And it is exactly what Rubén, his family, La Escuela del Sarape La Favorita, and the Sarape and Mexican Costumes Museum (El Museo del Sarape y Trajes Mexicanos) seek to preserve.
"The colors are so varied, so beautiful. "It takes us back to difficult times in the dyeing industry," said Juan Rubén Tamayo Sánchez.
Retrato de Juan Rubén Tamayo Sánchez en el restaurante Don Artemio (2025-10-28) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
School founded in the old factory
La Escuela del Sarape opened in the La Favorita building, a former blanket and rug factory in the Águila de Oro neighborhood. The sign "Sarapes Factory" still crowns the site, a legacy from when the artform was exported. Francisco Javier Luna Reyes runs the school.
Exterior de la Escuela del Sarape "La Favorita" (2025-10-28) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Disseminating knowledge
Today, the school's mission is to preserve an artform that is on the brink of extinction. In cooperation with the school community, the Tamayo family is teaching everyone what could previously only be learned by observing a maestro.
Detalle de trabajo en el taller de Juan Rubén Tamayo Sánchez (2025-10-28) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
No longer gatekeeping knowledge
Across the Saltillo mountains, many people are working together to preserve the sarape artform. They are passing on the legacy handed down from their teachers to new students, breathing fresh life into a tradition that was once on the verge of disappearing.
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.