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Huichol Bead Art
The rugged mountains and remote villages of the Sierra de Nayarit north of Guadalajara are the homeland of roughly ten to fourteen thousand Huichol Indians. These were among the last tribes to come under Spanish rule, and their religion still is essentially pagan, revolving around several important agricultural deities. Deer is the most sacred of all animals, its blood a symbol of fertility. Corn is the source of all life, for it was Nacahue, mother of all gods, who gave corn to the first man for planting, and from it was born the first Huichol woman. Peyote is a means of communication with the gods, and the consumption of peyote by the Huichol people is a deeply religious experience. The unity of these three elements – deer, corn, and peyote – is the absolute core of Huichol beliefs.
The Huichols express these feelings through their art, which is made not from the standpoint of decoration, but to give profound expression to deep spiritual beliefs. This makes traditional Huichol art, whether it be meticulous beadwork, yarn paintings, wooden masks, or striking embroidered and woven personal adornments, beautiful not only from its aesthetic standpoint but from the psychological as well.
La Fuente Imports is proud to offer one of the most artistic collections of Huichol Indian beadwork available anywhere on the web. Each piece is made first by spreading a thin layer of beeswax over a wooden form or hollowed gourd, and then meticulously pushing small glass beads into the wax to create complex patterns and symbols. Every item has been selected by hand to ensure the highest possible quality, and we include with all shipments a short brochure that helps explain the significance of the symbols. It is these symbols that tell the story of each piece, and are a precious legacy worthy of preservation because they remain so unmistakably Native American in a larger world that becomes more and more uniform with each passing day. |
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