What they are doing is rare, amazing and spectacular. The dyers, from Pinotepa de Don Luis, are the last traditional shell dyers on the planet. It could take the milking of up to 1000 Purpura to color just one purple reboso and as indigenous culture becomes more integrated and as traditional dresses become more expensive fewer younger women are wearing them. Although no longer worn routinely, these skirts are still held in high esteem by Mixtec women.Ī genuine posahuanco not only confers status, the Purple color is associated with fertility and many women of this region continue the tradition of being married in one of these garments. This traditional skirt has bands of dark, indigo dyed cotton, purpura dyed cotton and red silk. Today it is used only by the local women who weave it into either a “ reboso” (a shawl worn over the shoulders) or a “ posahuanco” (a wrap around skirt traditionally worn by coastal Mixtec women). Historically cotton dyed with purpura was traded as far away as Costa Rica. This is making the dye more expensive and hence less competitive, especially in a market including synthetic dyes and fabrics. At one time the shelldyers were able to dye several skeins of cotton in a day, now they are lucky to complete just one. Unfortunately the population continues to diminish due to fishermen poaching for seafood. With an average life span of about 11 years the prognosis for their survival is positive. Purpura snails from this region are recognized as a national treasure and are protected by the Federal Government. What is so unique about this dye, making it so sought after, is that the fabric does not fade with exposure to the sun but the intensity actually deepens over time. The cotton strands first turn yellow but with prolonged exposure to the sun and oxygen the color transforms, as if by magic, to turquoise then blue and finally purple. By pressing just on the right spot, each snail releases their milky white liquid directly onto the skeins of cotton before being cautiously returned to their hiding place. Purpura shells are well camouflaged within the rocks of the inner tidal zone but shelldyers are expert at identifying them and gently lifting them out of the water. was expelled from Mexico and harvesting of the dye became strictly controlled. In 1988 the purpura became protected by the Mexican Federal government, Imperial Purple Inc. Within four short years many of the grounds were severely depleted or completely barren. The fishermen hired by this company harvested year round, handled the shells roughly and were careless about replacing them to their former resting place. nearly decimated the purpura population on the entire Pacific coastline. Unfortunately in the early 1980’s, a Japanese company called Imperial Purple Inc. By not harvesting dye during mating season, careful rotation, gently milking only the mature shells and painstakingly replacing them onto the rocks, they were able to conserve the species over several centuries. The ancient Mixtec shelldyers understood that the purpura regenerates its ink. One important difference between the Mediterranean Murex and Purpura is that the former had to be killed to extract the dye, eventually leading to its extinction while the snail found on the Pacific Coast can be milked and released back into the sea. The snail of the Americas is commonly known as “Purpura” and was used for centuries to obtain the same rich shade produced in Europe. Due to its scarcity many cultures reserved it for royalty and in more recent years the shade has been referred to as “Royal Purple”.Ī close relative of the Mediterranean murex was found along the PacificCoast from Ecuador to the Baja. It took some 12,000 snails to extract 1.5 grams of tyrian purple dye and Aristotle reported that it had a value of up to twenty times it weight in gold. Ancient civilizations mentioned this dye in texts dating back as far as 1600 B.C. In Europe, murex snails were found in the Mediterranean and produced a color which was named “tyrian purple” by the Phoenicians. The dye comes from a species of sea snail often known as murex snails. These dyers travel from the remote village of Pinotepa de Don Luis to work the rocky Oaxacan shoreline north of Huatulco. This craft has been passed down to them by their ancestors over several centuries. Today only twenty five men remain on earth who are continuing the ancient tradition of collecting purple dye. As this exquisitely rich color was both rare and time consuming to achieve, collectors of purple dye were highly respected. Since Ancient times, in both Europe and Mesoamerica, purple has been associated with royalty and special religious ceremonies.
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