• EXPORT: Confronted with the drastic fall in textiles demand due to the coronavirus shock, Otomí artisans in the Mexican municipality of Tenango de Doria (pop. 18,000) have turned to exporting small batches of hand-sewn face masks embroidered in the colorful style that has made them famous.
• COLOR: Known for their patterns in brilliant colors featuring animals, plants and flowers, artisans in the Otomí villages surrounding Tenango de Doria in the central state of Hidalgo still face acute poverty and many continue to migrate to the US despite their celebrated textiles.
• DESIGN: “A girl from Germany asked us to have hers an embroidered chili, because they don’t eat much hot chili there. One (customer) from Spain asked for palms, another snakes”, says Diana Laura Tolentino an artisan in the village of San Pablo el Grande and member of the Hyadi Njü cooperative.
• ADMIRED: Originating decades ago after a period of economic crisis, the Tenango embroidery is internationally admired with some artisans partnering with brands like Carolina Herrera and Hermès. However, Tenango artisans frequently fight against plagiarism and machine-sewn imitations.
