Huichol art
Huichol art broadly groups the most traditional and most recent innovations in the folk art and handcrafts produced by the Huichol people, who live in the states of Jalisco, Durango, Zacatecas and Nayarit
in Mexico. The unifying factor of the work is the colorful decoration
using symbols and designs which date back centuries. The most common and
commercially successful products are “yarn paintings” and objects
decorated with small commercially produced beads. Yarn paintings consist
of commercial yarn pressed into boards coated with wax and resin and
are derived from a ceremonial tablet called a neirika. The Huichol have a
long history of beading, making the beads from clay, shells, corals,
seeds and more and using them to make jewelry and to decorate bowls and
other items. The “modern” beadwork usually consists of masks and wood
sculptures covered in small, brightly colored commercial beads fastened
with wax and resin.
While the materials have changed and the purpose of many of the items
have changed from religious to commercial purposes, the designs have
changed little, and many retain their religious and symbolic
significance. Most outsiders experience Huichol art as tourists in areas
such as Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta,
without knowing anything about the people who make the items, and the
meanings of the designs. There are some notable Huichol artists in the
yarn painting and beadwork fields, and both types of work have been
commissioned for public display.
