The Fascination for Mexican Handicrafts

Xochipilli-Xochiquétzal are two sister organizations that were born to provide support and training for Mexican craftsmen. The trading company and the civil association work together to give hand made products from rural indigenous communities access to the international markets.

According to the Aztec cosmogony, Xochipilli and Xochiquétzal were twin brother and sister, a prince and a princess, god and goddess of the flowers and of all the beautiful things in nature and therefore patron and patroness, respectively, of artists and craftsmen.

These two names in the Náhuatl language inspired the names of the twin organizations as well – born in the city of Cuernavaca, Morelos, to revere and support Mexican craftsmanship. A cult of much more modern shades, linked not only to the preservation of traditions but also, and above all, to the International expansion of hand-made exquisite products by rural and indigenous communities in Mexico.

Since 1991, these two organizations have helped craftsmen from various sites in Mexico ship their products to countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Austria, the US and Canada. When they decided to embark on this project, its founders concluded there were two problems to solve. Firstly, find clients outside of Mexico who could be interested in the work of Mexican artisans.

Secondly, help Mexican artisans ascribe to punctual production and quality standards, without losing traditional manufacturing methods.

Fair Trade and Community Partnership
While Xochipilli is an international trading company, Xochiquétzal is a non-profit organization. It may seem contradictory but, according to its founders, the two complement each other. As with the Aztec god and goddess, they were born together to work for a common goal: Mexican artisans and craftsmanship.

In a way, one of the organizations is in charge solely of the products and goods, whereas the other is responsible for the men and women who manufacture them. So, while the trading company specializes in finding international clients who value the work made in Mexico, its twin organization is devoted to training those in charge of producing this work to improve its quality.

Since their birth, they joined the World Fair Trade Organization (WFT) and later they applied for membership of the European Fair Trade Association (EFTA), in order to create an ethical trading culture delivering benefits for the producers and artisans, as well as for their international customers. Xochipilli-Xochiquétzal, which initially started with 100 workshops, has decided to concentrate its efforts in 18 training workshops located in five states: Guerrero, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Estado de México and Morelos.

Balance and Sustainability, Tradition and Quality
To honor their name, these organizations act as true guides for the artisans. They choose their suppliers based on their ability to produce beautiful works featuring the distinctive Mexican tradition aspect and willingness and openness to receive training at the workshops in order to upgrade production and quality standards.

“We could say our specialty is the pieces in rustic clay, although we also organize workshops and courses and later export handicrafts made with lacquered wood, tin and ceramics baked at medium and low temperatures,” explains Inez Villaseñor Salto, general manager of Xochipilli-Xochiquétzal. Today, the annual sales abroad with the support of these organizations account for roughly 120,000 usd, which benefit around 100 Mexican artisans and their families.

It is easier said than done but it implies very hard work. Only three full time employees are in charge of coordinating, visiting, promoting and planning the logistics to ship the goods, which must travel from the rural communities to their final destinations.

Also, in its 20 years of operating, Xochipilli-Xochiquétzal has supported itself with its own resources obtained through its intermediary work and helped by clients from abroad, who occasionally request and partially fund special workshops and seminars for specific craftsmanship.

Future Plans
Xochipilli-Xochiquétzal have managed to preserve the traditions of the artisans in the communities where they work and have also optimized their production and quality skills. They have also been able to implement additional small changes in these indigenous and rural communities of Mexico.

Traditionally, in many of these places women have no access to work or any other type of opportunities. Even though women are typically the creators of most of the handicrafts, the local ways have always allowed them to produce them for use solely in their own dwellings.

In Cuentepec, Morelos, for instance, women were the ones typically working the clay, making their own household products, only occasionally available for retail sale. In this community, only women were allowed to go to the clay mines but now the men help in some of the gathering work, as much as their tradition allows them.

Today, some 26 women from Cuentepec are able to produce 1,000 pieces a week and when they are not sold to international clients through Xochipilli-Xochiquétzal, they can be sold in other markets.

When Xochipilli-Xochiquétzal has given indigenous women the opportunity to work for a certain wage, the whole family contributes to the work, exponentially improving the quality of life of the community.

“The money the women obtain through their work is usually well invested in improving the nurturing and education of their families or in house improvements. Giving them access to an additional source of income makes them feel better about them selves,” says Inez Villaseñor.

At the moment, the international handicrafts market is hardly going through a boom period, so Xochipilli-Xochiquétzal plan to concentrate their work in the 18 workshops they operate in five states.

In the future, their plans are to begin a campaign amongst its beneficiaries, promoting increased contact between the craftsmen and the Fair Trade mission.

“In the fair trade philosophy, the salaries must be competitive and you have to take responsibility for the men and women involved in the processes of production, as well as for the environment, complying with all the required standards. The working conditions must be optimized and the commercial relations must benefit the clients, traders and manufacturers equally and as much as possible,” claims Inez Villaseñor.

These two organizations have not only managed to stay afloat but also in 20 years have implemented important structural and economic changes without undermining the traditional ways of making handicrafts in Mexico. They have also achieved international recognition and appreciation for these 100% typical Mexican products. Undeniably, in a cult for the gods that inspired their names, they have become true modern patrons for Mexican artisans.