SANTO DOMINGO OCOTITLAN, MORELOS
“The mountains have life, that’s why they have names; they give us their hair, and we weave it. We gather from the earth, taking only what is necessary, and by combining their fibers, we make them stronger.”
Our story in Santo Domingo Ocotitlán begins with the desire to protect the forests of Tepoztlán. During our first reforestation campaign in 2019, the idea arose to work with ocoxal, the dry pine needles that fall naturally to the ground.
This fiber, often considered waste, had the potential to be transformed into something valuable.To bring this idea to life, we organized workshops with a group of women artisans from Cihuame Ixtlauatl in Puebla, who shared their knowledge of handling and weaving pine needles. This exchange marked the beginning of a movement in Ocotitlán. The women of the community learned to collect, clean, and work with ocoxal (pine needles), allowing them to generate income while connecting more deeply with the forest.
In the mountains, the artisans hike, sometimes alone and sometimes with their families, to collect this fiber and transform it into the objects that fill a home: baskets, vases, lamps, and flowerpots. This practice, in addition to being part of the production process, offers women a safe space to share, learn, and support one another.
“Each piece carries our effort, our stories, and our love for the forest.”;
México
Estados Unidos