Guerrero palm weaving

In Guerrero, you live and breathe the palm. Virgilio’s family lives in Chilapa, the palm weaver capital. It is quite particular how the pattern and the way the palm is weaved in Guerrero; it is a “Flat” palm. The palm is harvested, cut and cleaned like any other place. If you want to add color to the leaves, they can be dyed in tubs and left to dry. A sewing machine is used to make circular patterns in a kind of “tortilla”. Placed in a wooden mold, the “tortilla” is shaped with a hot iron. This is the way every basket comes alive. 

Common pieces from this technique include baskets, placemats, coasters, hats, and mats among other things.