Yucatán Hosts Mexico’s Premier Textile Art Event

Mérida, Yucatán — Yucatán has been selected as the host for the first edition of the Original: Encuentro de Arte Textil (Original Textile Art Encounter) to be held outside of Mexico City. The event, scheduled for October 16-19, will bring together more than 300 artisans from across the country, alongside representatives from Cuba and Paraguay, to share their creations and traditions while promoting dignity and fair trade for communities dedicated to this craft.

Federal and State Officials Present Landmark Event

Accompanied by the Secretary of Culture of the Mexican Government, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena presented the details of this gathering, which aims to honor the nation's diversity, revalue artisan work, and generate ethical markets for families who depend on this activity for their livelihood.

“Let us welcome this Original project as a movement that honors our original peoples and places our Mayan communities at the center of federal and state public policies,” stated the state governor. “This is to build spaces where we continue working together to highlight our culture, our artisans, and to give them the place they deserve.”

Speaking from the Salón de la Historia in the Government Palace, Díaz Mena emphasized that the encounter arrives in Yucatán to recognize the value of Mexican textiles and those who keep them alive with their hands and hearts. He described it as a space for respect, dignity, and projection for those who have cared for generations for the memory of their peoples through embroidery, weaving, filigree, and many other techniques that form part of the national identity.

In this regard, the state executive indicated that the entity will soon have two permanent stores of the Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías (Fonart) to provide a significant boost to the fair sale of local crafts. These stores will be located in the Ateneo Peninsular and at the Chichén Itzá tourist parador.

The governor thanked President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and the Secretary of Culture for this initiative, which represents a recognition of the women and men who have kept these traditions alive despite difficulties and a historical lack of recognition.

A Commitment to Cultural Protection and Rights

For her part, the Secretary of Culture of the Mexican Government, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, thanked Governor Díaz Mena for embracing this encounter, which places the value of the country's textile artisans at its core. She noted that Original was born as a public policy to confront plagiarism and cultural appropriation.

“Original is being presented for the first time outside of the city, here in Mérida, Yucatán, as a fundamental space to protect cultural heritage, to raise awareness about appropriation, and to place collective rights at the center,” she highlighted.

Within this framework, the head of the Secretaría de la Cultura y las Artes (Sedeculta), Patricia Martín Briceño, stated that hosting Mexico's most important textile art gathering holds deep significance for Yucatán, reaffirming it as a land of ancestral knowledge, living traditions, and communities for whom this expression is a manifestation of identity, memory, and creativity.

The state official also announced Yucatán's participation in Mondiacult 2025, the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies, to be held this year in Barcelona, Spain. Yucatán was chosen alongside the state of Nuevo León to represent Mexico at the event.

Event Details and Participating Artisans

The Undersecretary of Cultural Development, Marina Núñez Bespalova, indicated that the encounter will be held at the Centro de Convenciones Yucatán Siglo XXI and will share some activities with the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya.

The event will gather master artisans from 26 states of the Republic, representing 24 indigenous peoples. As a new feature, the federal official announced that an encounter dedicated to filigree will be held for the first time, with the participation of 50 masters of this goldsmithing technique. The program will also include four fashion runways, workshops, a selection of Yucatecan artisans, and the presence of national textile art award winners.

The presentation was attended by the Secretary of Tourism Development, Darío Flota Ocampo; the Director of the Instituto Yucateco de Emprendedores, Salvador Vitelli Macías; the Director of the Patronato Cultur, Clemente Escalante Alcocer; artisan and member of the Consejo Estatal de Bordadoras, Cándida Jiménez Bojórquez; artisan Suemi Montejo Gutiérrez from Tahdziú; and artisan Cristopher García Luna from Calkiní, Campeche.