Yucatán Hosts Mexico’s Premier Textile Art Event

Mérida, Yucatán — The state of Yucatán has been selected to host the first edition of "Original: Encuentro de Arte Textil" (Original: Textile Art Encounter) to be held outside of Mexico City. The event, scheduled for October 16-19, will convene over 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.

The announcement was made by Yucatán Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena, who was accompanied by the Secretary of Culture of the Mexican Government, Claudia Curiel de Icaza. The officials detailed the event, which is designed 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 Governor Díaz Mena. "This is to build spaces in which 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 of those who keep them alive with their hands and hearts. He described it as a space of respect, dignity, and projection for those who have safeguarded for generations the memory of their peoples through embroidery, weaving, filigree, and many other techniques that form part of the national identity.

The state governor also indicated that the entity will soon have two permanent stores of the Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías (Fonart) to significantly boost the fair sale of local crafts. These stores will be located in the Ateneo Peninsular and at the Chichén Itzá tourist parador.

Governor Díaz Mena expressed gratitude to President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and the Secretary of Culture for an initiative that represents recognition for the women and men who have kept these traditions alive despite years of difficulties and a lack of acknowledgment.

In her remarks, Federal Secretary of Culture Claudia Curiel de Icaza thanked Governor Díaz Mena for embracing the encounter, which places the value of the country's textile artisans at its core. She stated that the event was born as a public policy to confront plagiarism and cultural appropriation.

"For the first time, Original is presented outside 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.

The head of the Secretaría de la Cultura y las Artes de Yucatán (Sedeculta), Patricia Martín Briceño, stated that hosting the most important textile art encounter in Mexico 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.

Marina Núñez Bespalova, the Undersecretary of Cultural Development, 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. It will gather master artisans from 26 states of the Republic, representing 24 indigenous peoples.

As a new feature, the federal official announced that a first-ever filigree encounter will be held, with the participation of 50 masters of this metallurgy technique. The event will also include four fashion runways, workshops, a selection of Yucatecan artisans, and the presence of national textile art award winners.

The presentation was also attended by the Secretary of Tourism Development, Darío Flota Ocampo; the Director of the Yucatán Institute for Entrepreneurs, Salvador Vitelli Macías; the Director of the Cultur Trust, Clemente Escalante Alcocer; artisan and member of the State Council of Embroiderers, Cándida Jiménez Bojórquez; artisan from Tahdziú, Suemi Montejo Gutiérrez; and artisan from Calkiní, Campeche, Cristopher García Luna.

The Centro Internacional de Congresos de Yucatán will host 270 exhibitors distributed across 151 stands.