Weaving in New Mexico The Pueblo Weavers

The first rugs and blankets were created by the Indians of New Mexico because of the need for warmth and protection against the elements.

These ancient weavers used their looms as an extension of nature itself by recreating the patterns of the wind, the endless expanse of sky and the graceful symmetry of the mountains.

Centuries of weaving together the materials and colors gleaned from the earth has created an art form that is now prized the world over.

This legacy of the land and loom began nearly 2500 years ago with the first Pueblo people.

New Mexico’s first known weavers were the Anasazi, or “Ancient Ones,” who, beginning around 800 A.D., created weavings on upright looms with cotton, yucca fibers and feathers.

The Anasazi were followed by the Dineh, or “The People,” as the Navajo call themselves.

According to legend, The People were taught to weave by Spider Woman who helped them with their designs.

Historians believe that the Navajo, whose traditional and contemporary rugs are prized by collectors for their remarkable designs, originally learned the meticulous art of weaving from the Pueblo people before the Spanish arrived.

Because Pueblo weaving was done mainly for use in ceremonies, it has never been as well known as the later Navajo rugs and blankets, which became highly prized trade items among the Indians and Spanish alike.

For the Navajo, weaving was an important part of their daily ritual of existence.

Passed down from generation to generation as a “Way of Being,” the art of weaving became firmly ensconced in their mythology and religion.

According to one of the many traditions, when a Navajo girl is born, a spider’s web is rubbed on the baby’s hands and arms so that she will be a fine and tireless weaver.