The Hidden Oaxacan Village Where Ancient Weaving Secrets Are Still Passed Down Through Generations (2025)

An honest review of the best textile tour in Oaxaca and how to make the most of your visit to Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca.

a variety of different textiles, including brightly colored blankets, rugs, and other woven items, hanging on the walls and laid out on tables for display

The state of Oaxaca stands out for being one of the most culturally diverse states in Mexico. With over 16 languages and ethnic groups, it is considered Mexico’s cultural heart.

The local communities here have a unique way of using art and traditional handicrafts not just as expressions of creativity, but as powerful tools for social mobilization and resistance.

These artistic practices play a big part in strengthening and showcasing the region’s distinct identity, making Oaxaca a vibrant center for cultural expression.

Dyed wool of colors of blue, violet, pink, and yellow hanged on the red bricked wall to see in Oaxaca Mexico

Local communities take great pride in their heritage and are eager to share their rich cultural traditions with visitors who are curious to learn and engage.

Take the Zapotec community in Teotitlán del Valle, for instance. They’re master weavers, known for their exquisite rug making that’s been passed down through generations.

In Teotitlán del Valle, several families have come together to form a collective to support one another and keep their traditions alive.

A person is skillfully manning a wooden weaving machine in Teotitlán del Valle Oaxaca. In one hand, they hold two rolls of wool, one colored green and the other pink.

You can go on a tour, spend half a day with them and get hands-on experience while you learn about their traditional weaving processes and see how they create unique, handmade rugs. It’s a wonderful way to dive deep into the local culture and witness their unique worldview firsthand.

> Check rates and availability: Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience

Table of Contents

1 Where is Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca?
2 Why is Teotitlán del Valle famous?
3 Review of Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience
4 Community-based tourism in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca
5 Why choose Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience
- 5.1 What’s included in the Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience
- 5.2 What past guests have said about this tour
6 Learning more about textiles in Oaxaca
7 Other highly recommended Oaxaca tours

Where is Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca?

Tucked away in the heart of the Oaxacan Central Valleys is the quaint village of Teotitlán del Valle. This small community is an important center of Zapotec culture, with deep-rooted weaving traditions that go back centuries.

an old wooden loom with white wools on a bricked floor surrounded by wooden fences, tall grasses, and hanging plants

Every family here seems to have a pedal loom, very different from a backstrap loom, and the air is filled with the clacking sound of weaving, a tradition that goes back to pre-Hispanic times.

As you wander through the village, you’ll see beautifully intricate rugs and textiles displayed outside homes and workshops, each piece telling a story through its colors and patterns, colored using local natural dyes like indigo, marigold, and cochinilla (cochineal).

Why is Teotitlán del Valle famous?

Visiting Teotitlán is a truly immersive experience. The locals are not only craftspeople but also proud guardians of their heritage, eager to share their skills with visitors.

Many workshops offer demonstrations, allowing you to see firsthand how raw wool is transformed into stunning textiles.

A collection of rolls of wool in various hues, predominantly pinks, along with some in brown, white, and gray, is displayed beside a wooden weaving contraption in Teotitlán del Valle Oaxaca.

It’s a community where artistry and craftsmanship go hand in hand with everyday life, offering a unique glimpse into a world where tradition and pride are woven tightly together.

For travelers visiting Oaxaca City, adding a tour to Teotitlán to your itinerary is a must and really easy. The village is only a short drive away, but the best way to visit is by joining a dedicated tour that focuses on the community and the sacred art of weaving.

As a key hub for Zapotec textile traditions, it’s the perfect spot to immerse yourself in the craft, and maybe even pick up a beautifully woven tapete (rug).

Review of Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience

I visited Teotitlán del Valle by joining the Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience with WSE Travel, a small group tour operator, and I’m excited to share my honest review, with all you need to know about the experience and why this is the best textile tour in Oaxaca.

rolls of wools with spindles in colors of red and yellow on a wooden floor with a hand holding two yellow stones

I can guarantee this tour to Teotitlán del Valle is one of the best tours in Oaxaca and it will be one of the most memorable experiences you will have here.

I was picked up at my Oaxaca accommodation at 9am by my local guide Victor, who took me to the weaving collective in Teotitlán del Valle, a small town internationally famous for its textiles.

> Check rates and availability: Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience

Meeting the family and learning about the process

On arrival I met our hosts, Josefina and Javier, a 5th generation family of textile producers, at their textile workshop and home.

Woman in blue dress and red and white apron holding metal cage with pink wool, smiling in front of wooden fence with wooden figures in background.

Their family tradition goes way back, and their great-great-grandfather was one of the first people to export textiles to the USA in 1945. One of his pieces is on display at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

A man in a blue shirt and cap weaving in a loom inside a room with bricked walls in red and orange.

A few generations later, Josefina and Javier continue the tradition specializing in pre-hispanic weaving techniques. They will show you how they process the wool using their traditional techniques from start to finish – from brushing, spinning, dying, drying and finally the weaving process.

A woman in a blue dress and red apron spinning green wool with a wooden spinning wheel, with pink, black, orange, and blue wools in the background

The most fascinating part for me was the demonstration of the dying process, and how they use natural pigments for the multitude of colors they create.

They dye the wool in vibrant shades of gold, red, green and blue using natural ingredients like pecans, alfalfa, pomegranate skin, indigo, and cochinilla (cochineal) bugs.

As part of this process, Josefina and Javier showed us their grana-cochinilla farm, where they grow this incredible insect used to extract the color red. Cochinilla produces carmin acid, which when mixed with different elements results in other colors. It’s pure magic!

Cactus pads hanged on the wall with ties and nails with a stack of cactus pads under to see during cultural tours in oaxaca

Getting hands-on with the process

My favorite part of the tour was the hands-on aspect of it all. I got to help Josefina brush the wool in preparation for spinning and threading it.

In Teotitlán del Valle Oaxaca, I am brushing a wool using two planks of wood, a technique essential for spinning and threading. In the background, there are piles of green wool alongside a wooden wheel designed for threading.

And on top of it all, I got to weave my own coaster in a 100 year old loom. This is part of everyone’s experience on this tour, so you will get to do this too! It’s a great way to get an insight into the amazing skills needed to do this work.

Me in pink kimono with boho print and gray pants weaving in a loom with a wooden fence in the background

I chose two colors to combine, a pattern, and Josefina guided me through the process of weaving. It was a great souvenir to take home with me and remember this amazing day.

Ending with a home-cooked family meal

The day ends with a delicious home-cooked lunch with Josefina and Javier in their own home, a great chance to ask them anything about their everyday life you haven’t asked already.

I am taking a selfie at a dinner table filled with a home-cooked meal, surrounded by people enjoying the moment. The backdrop features a wall adorned with Christ and family portraits, along with figures illuminated by well-lit candles and decorated with flowers. This scene captures the warmth and communal spirit of dining in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca

And finally, a visit to their showroom, where you can see the breadth of styles they work on.

No purchase necessary (but you’ll likely want to)

At the end of the tour, you will have the opportunity to buy a piece of traditional Teotitlán del Valle textile art here, directly from the family. However, as mentioned, this is not a sales pitch like you’d get on other textile tours.

Brightly colored textiles with animal and shape prints on display in red, yellow, and blue hanging and folded on a red table

Although there is no obligation or expectation, it will probably be hard to resist buying one of their beautiful hand woven rugs. And of course, if you decide to buy something it’ll always be appreciated. Plus you’ll have a unique piece of Oaxacan culture and tradition to take home with you.

I got myself a rug to hang on my wall at home, and I will remember and appreciate the skill and hard work it took to make it whenever I look at it.

Community-based tourism in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca

This tour is a great example of community-based tourism in Oaxaca.

The family doesn’t depend on the sales they will make on the day. They get paid fairly for their time by WSE Travel, the tour company I used, which is (sadly) unusual. This is one of the things I loved about this particular tour operator.

A bricked wall features a wide rectangular window opening that offers a stunning view of the mountains and grassland of Teotitlán del Valle Oaxaca. Inside the wall, wools are hung in a vibrant array of colors, including red, orange, pink, violet, brown, white, and black

Most companies that organize cultural tours in Oaxaca work with local producers on a sales only basis, so there’s a lot of pressure for you to buy something during the tour so the family can earn for their time spent with you.

This is not the case at all with WSE Travel, which works closely with the communities and practices responsible tourism principles.

> Check rates and availability: Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience

Why choose Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience

Tour length: Up to 10 hours | Rating: 5 out of 5 stars | Book Now

With a perfect 5 star rating, it’s not just me saying that the Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience is the best textile tour in Oaxaca. It’s a textile tour with a difference, and an experience I’ll personally cherish forever!

A woman in printed blue and red dress grinding cochinilla on stone with different colors of wool hanged at the bricked wall behind

This cultural tour in Oaxaca includes everything you need to learn all about this important weaving tradition through the perfect balance of cultural interactions with a local family of textile producers, participating in their day to day activities.

It includes a home-cooked lunch with the family, a unique opportunity to connect with them further in a meaningful way, which is unique to this tour and very few people get to experience.

Unlike other tours, this textile tour in Oaxaca is not a sales pitch, so there is no pressure to purchase anything, and there are no additional hidden costs.

An outdoor workshop in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, features a wooden wheel for threading and a wooden chair piled high with wools in vibrant colors of greens, reds, and pinks. Large clay pots are set beside the wooden walls, all under a bright sky.

WSE Travel works closely with the families of weavers to ensure they get paid fairly for their time, and not on a showroom sales only basis, like many other operators do.

> Check rates and availability: Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience

What’s included in the Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience

The Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience includes:

Meeting a family of textile producers
Visit to a textile workshop
Weave your own coaster in a 100 year old loom
Mezcal and tepache samples
Visit to a grana-cochinilla breeding farm (source of natural red pigment)
English and Spanish speaking private guide
Translation with your weaving host family
Home-cooked lunch with family of textile producers
Transportation (hotel pick up and drop off)

> Check rates and availability: Oaxaca Wool Textiles Experience

What past guests have said about this tour

“This was an incredible day. Our hosts Josefina and Javier were welcoming and made us feel at home immediately. We also met their children and a grandson. A wonderful peaceful home. The weaving studio is amazing. The chance to weave a small piece on a 200 year old loom was priceless. (…)”
Anne Everett (Read more reviews)

A woman dressed in a flower-decorated dress and apron is brushing a white wool using two planks of wood in front of a brick wall. The wall is adorned with hanged wools in vibrant blue and pink colors, showcasing the rich textile tradition of Teotitlán del Valle Oaxaca.

Learning more about textiles in Oaxaca

If you would like to learn more about the pre-Hispanic tradition of textiles in Oaxaca after this tour, don’t miss a visit to the Textile Museum (Museo Textil de Oaxaca), located in the heart of the city.

The museum is housed in an 18th century mansion and it’s free entry.

Other highly recommended Oaxaca tours

Here are other highly recommended WSE Travel tours that work closely with the traditional artisan communities of Oaxaca. I have done all these tours myself, so I can personally recommend them: