Souvenir Area Rugs From Southern Mexico

This chapter concerns handwoven rugs from a small town in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, and, more briefly, carved wooden animals and fantasy figures made in a few other towns in that state. The emphasis here is how these craftsmen are currently reshaping their efforts—how they are seeking shared aesthetic and ideological ground with Mexican and foreign tourists, that is, finding common ground with populaces who are different from them in many ways. The principles discussed are illustrated by many photographs.