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Gregorio Ruiz

"Hola! My name is Gregorio Ruiz López and I learned my craft when I was a boy. I remember how my grandmother would take me to the village where the sheep were. There they were sheared and we'd bring home wool to work with. First we'd wash it with asmole, a plant that releases a lot of foam and cuts the grease. We'd leave it in the sun, beating it with rods of yagalan, a very strong wood from the trees in the region. This was lots of fun, and it serves to soften the wool so that we can separate the fibers. And so, without even knowing it, we worked while playing from the time we were children in a very important part of processing wool.

"Then my grandmother would card the wool to prepare it for spinning into yarn. She'd wind it into hanks and dye it with the same natural colors we use today. This job is always done by women, although we help them with some of the heavy work.

"By the age of 12, I could reach the pedals of the handloom so I could learn to weave. Ever since, I have woven rugs and now my sons have also learned our craft. My favorite patterns are of mountains and rows of diamonds because they remind me a lot of my father. When I make a really large rug it can take up to a month to finish the weaving part alone.

"Since I learned to weave as a boy I feel proud that my sons have done so too. Now each of us makes the articles we like best, and in this way we are able to support our families without having to leave home."