Author: Alvin Starkman
Most tourists have no idea that only a couple of hundred yards
off the main highway, a minute or two from the black pottery
village, is one the most fascinating destinations that the state
of Oaxaca has to offer children and adults alike. And yet the
majority of travelers have a least heard or read a snippet about
the natural red dye which comes from a tiny insect and is used
to color the rugs they buy in Teotitlán del Valle, and other
products including some of the foods and beverages we eat
today...the grana cochinilla fina, commonly known as simply
cochineal.
I suspect that from reading their guidebooks or speaking to tour
guides and taxi drivers, visitors are not generally made aware
of the importance of this little bug on the world stage over
centuries; or perhaps they think it's enough to buy a tapete and
be told it's been dyed with cochineal, and see and touch a few
dried insects...rather than spend 40 or 50 minutes in amazement.
It might be different if they knew that during the conquest era,
next to gold and silver cochineal was the most valuable
commodity known to mankind, and that in 1758 Oaxaca exported
over 1.5 million Spanish pounds of it to Europe, Africa and Asia
for a multitude of uses including the dying of fabrics including
uniforms worn by British nobility and cavalry.
Together known as Tlapanochestli, the quaint research facility,
museum, ranch and open-air teaching environment is located at
Santa María Coyotepec off a dirt road only 15 minutes from
downtown Oaxaca. The attraction is designed to hold the interest
of travelers of all ages and all backgrounds, from layperson to
academic or professional.
Upon entering Tlapanochestli you'll be greeted by one of the
employees who works the ranch, or perhaps one of the two
scientists who run the research and teaching programs, Engineers
Manual Loera Fernández and Ignacio del Río Dueñas. You'll learn
about the lifecycle of the cochineal, how it attaches itself to
and feeds off of a certain variety of nopal cactus, and about
its harvesting and preparation for use as a dye. Both kids and
grownups will delight and be awe-struck at having either a live
or dried bug squished on their palm yielding the scarlet
pigment. You'll be taught why not all types of nopal cactus are
suitable for production of cochineal, which ones are used to
make salads, and about varietals which produce the sweet red
edible fruit known as tuna, seasonally sold in marketplaces just
as apples and oranges, and just as often encountered as a sorbet
flavor or fresh fruit juice.
But your tour is not only about the insect and its host, but
includes learning about a plethora of other natural products
used to dye foods and fabrics, such pecan shells, oyster conch,
pomegranate, marigold, moss, onions, and the añil plant which
produces our blues and indigos. Combining some of these dyes
with the cochineal results in yet a further spectrum of color.
You'll also discover how to use cochineal in combination with
lime juice or baking soda and with different colored natural
wools to produce orange and purple hews.
One cannot help but marvel at the diversity of commercial
products which utilize the cochineal as a coloring such as
lipsticks and makeup for those allergic or sensitive to
synthetic red and orange tones, Danone yoghurt, Campari, and
even Campbell's soup. Often artists have opted to employ
cochineal and other natural colors for their work, and
accordingly witness walls adorned with examples of fine art
created without the use of chemical-based paints. The photos of
Prince Charles' attendance at Tlapanochestli is a testament to
the world's continued fascination with the historical and
contemporary significance of the grana cochinilla fina. In the
gift shop there's an opportunity to purchase dried cochineal for
your own use, ink in an attractive wax-sealed bottle, paints and
pastes, balls of yarn, soaps, clothing, and for the children
perhaps a paint set consisting of dried cochineal to crush using
the miniature clay pestle and mortar, along with coloring pages
with instruction sheet directing how to use the kit and produce
your own shades of red, orange and pink.
A short video puts the production of cochineal into its proper
historical context using facts, anecdotes and mythology, along
with colorful imagery, narrated using language easily understood
by children. At the same time those with a background or
interest in the sciences will have all of their questions
answered. The film outlines the pre-hispanic use of the pigment;
the development of an internationally regulated industry
attracting the attention of worldwide heads of state from The
Conquest forward; its importance in the global marketplace as
the strongest and most brilliant dye known to humankind; and its
decline in the mid 1800's upon the invention of synthetic
coloration and the subsequent adverse impact on the Mexican
economy. While Oaxacan production and export never did recover
from 19th century recessionary factors, the video concludes on a
upbeat note documenting the industry's resurgence in recent
decades in the face of widespread health concerns regarding the
continued reliance on synthetic substances to dye commercial
products. After your cinematic journey back into history, and
having gained knowledge about how natural dyes are produced and
used in a multitude of applications, your perception of not only
Oaxaca but also the Western World will have been enhanced
forever...whether you're in Oaxaca shopping for rugs, watching
the native vendors in a market or ordering ice cream; or sitting
in the comfort of your home and sipping a Campari and soda.
About the author:
Operating Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed &
Breakfast(http://www.oaxacadream.com), a unique bed and
breakfast experience Southern Mexico, Alvin Starkman (M.A.,
LL.B.) received his Masters in Social Anthropology from York
University in Toronto in 1978, taught for a few years, and
subsequently attended Osgoode Hall Law School, becoming licensed
by the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1986. Until 2004 he was a
partner at Banks & Starkman
