Tenangos
From San Pablo el Grande
February, 2018
TENANGO DE DORIA, HIDALGO
They also expressed what they like most about doing this work: color and its combinations. This exactly was the starting point for our story.
Tenango de Doria, a town located in the state of Hidalgo, is where the origin of this craft is located and where it gets its name from. This colorful embroidery emerges in the towns of San Nicolás and San Pablo el Grande as an economic alternative for the population that is mostly of Otomí-Tepehua origin.
On our trip we met Isalvia and Pati, two textile embroiderers from the region who started with this work when they were 8 years old.
"I have never seen such colorful animals in real life; however, I really enjoy the use of color."
The worldview of each town is reflected in colors, textures and shapes that give body and meaning to the Tenangos. Generally the motifs of embroidery include flowers, plants and fantastic animals. During this trip the artisans affirmed that they had never seen such animals in real life; however, by tradition they have always portrayed them in the different pieces they make. They also expressed what they like most about doing this work: color and its combinations. This exactly was the starting point for our story.
For this reason we decided to focus only on color but in an abstract way - a line - since it is the most basic element of a drawing. We used a curved line because it represents the roads and landscapes of the area. Color is the protagonist through a transition of shades that is reflected in large textiles, and allows the craftwork to shine and the detail be better appreciated.
On the other hand, we searched for elements that artisans actually see and are more common for them, such as clouds and the sky. From there we started to generate the collection of cushions. We decided to use the black color exclusively, for the silhouettes of the clouds to be emphasized.
For the creation of the embroideries, tools were designed and created to be used as a guide to manually mark the contour as well as each line of the colors that compose the pattern.
Finally, with this abstract line and these figurative cushions, it is possible to create the collection of a contemporary landscape, where a large textile represents a rainbow and is accompanied by the clouds of the sky.
