Yarn and Beads...More than Arts and Crafts

As I walked along Tucson’s artistic and eclectic 4th Avenue, passing the restaurants, vintage stores, and smoke shops wedged between a tattoo parlor and a hookah lounge is an art store that offers indigenous Mexican artwork.

The Sacred Desert Huichol (WEE-chol) Shop, provides the Tucson community with an opportunity to glimpse into the culture and lifestyle of two ancient Mexican ethnic groups, the Huichol and the Tepehuano (tep-e-WAH-no). The Huichols and Tepehuanos have been living in the area near the Sierra Madre Occidental for centuries and in that time have perfected their art styles.

I first encountered Huichol art this summer working with children at a summer fine arts camp. We made our own pieces out of yarn and glue while learning and admiring the intricacies of these ancient people. It was with this limited amount of knowledge that I ventured into the small shop.

The Huichol and Tepehuano tribes are known for their detailed yarn paintings and beaded work saturated with symbolism that reflects the nature of the people. They have been doing beaded work since the 13th century while their yarn paintings really developed in the 1950s. The tribes have been allies and friends for thousands of years, so while the Huichols developed the techniques the Tepehuanos have adapted them to their style. The major differences between the styles are the themes found within the yarn:

Tepehuano art is made to chase bad energy or spirits out of the home or body by using animal guides (deer, eagles, hummingbirds) and by drawing from the Great Source (the heavens and the earth).
Huichol designs can either be mandala art (doorways into another world protected by guardians so as to allow the enlightened through the portal and protect the unenlightened from being lost), rain art (praying to ancestors and gods for rain to have a profitable crop), or offering art (paintings to highlight the commune with ancestors and gods via animal intermediaries).

Store owner, Robert Reus, has been traveling to the heart of Central Mexico to retrieve the best pieces of Huichol and Tepehuano art to provide an outlet for these artisans here in Tucson. For the past four years, he has traveled twice a year to search for the best pieces in hopes that the community can discover the beauty of this art.

“Tucsonans seem appreciative of the art,” Reus said. “No one has ever left this store unhappy or mistreated and I’ve never had any returns.”

Reus works with all of his patrons to find homes for the artwork. He combines discounts and payment plans whenever needed. The artwork ranges in price from 6" X 6" paintings starting at $14 to the largest pieces starting at $300 and increasing. All of the beaded figurines range from $10 -$50.