Mexico

The following is aa introduction from the shop owner: "Welcome to Peyote People, my name is Kevin and together with my wife Beatriz we run a small gallery in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico that works directly with the Huichol Indians that live in San Andres Cohamiata, Jalisco.  Over the last 10 years we have developed very close relationships with a number of Huichol families.  Unlike most who buy their art in the city, I actually fly up into the Sierra to observe their ceremonies and rituals and take them supplies like the carvings that they use and new glass beads with iridescent colors that we import for our artists to work with.  We believe that the artist is just as valuable as the art; every piece that we sell is marked with the artist name and has a stamp that states their tribal affiliation which adheres to the 1991 Indian Arts and Crafts Act.  This is an excellent beaded nativity scene that has a total of 14 figures including the three Wise Men, Mary, Joseph, an Angel, the Pastor and his Son, 5 animals and baby Jesus.  This figures in this particular scene all measure 2.5" tall and are just under an inch in diameter.  This excellent nativity scene was hand beaded and signed by the artist Santos Villa.  Santos is a Huichol who comes from a small ranch called Agua Zarca, annexo San Andres Cohamiata, deep in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Western Mexico. He is married to the granddaughter of Don Jacinto Lopez Ramirez an elder shaman or Mara'akame widely considered the grandfather of the bead art and featured in the book 'Art of the Huichol' on pg 125.   This is a very busy time for the Huichol now that most of the pilgrims have already left the Sierra on the arduous 300mile journey to Wirikuta where the peyote grow.  Many Huichol are busy preparing for the return of the pilgrims." Such an interesting history. 

(L09.B19.R921.)