Featured in this lot is a very beautiful Zapotec Hand-woven Wool Rug. Zapotec rugs are woven foot loom woven in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. Zapotec weaving is among the finest quality in North America, second only to Navajo weaving. The town has a pre-Hispanic weaving tradition and is world famous for its fine tapestries and wall hangings decorated with traditional Zapotec and Mixtec glyphs, fretwork idols and animals, or artistic rugs depicting paintings and prints of famous creations by artists like Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, and M.C. Esher. In the 1950s, with the arrival of foreign tourism, Teotitlan's weavings became internationally famous. Zapotec rug making is a very intensive, and organic process - starting with the creation of natural dyes, using materials such as moss, bark, plants, fruits, seeds, flowers, and even insects. After the dye is created the wool is cleaned, and filled with color in an almost boiling bath. After the wool has been prepared, it can be strung, and finally used in the waving process. A top quality Zapotec rug must be tightly woven, somewhere around 20 threads per inch, and lay completely flat either on the floor or hanging on the wall and have straight edges. This rug in particular boasts an cream base color, the center medallion with a striking multi-coloured line through the center, and finished with an star/arrow design, signifying the four points of the diamond representing the elements of earth, air, water and fire. The borders of the rug show symmetrical, geometric designed colours of periwinkle, rust, brown and olive. The rug is also adorned with medium-cut fringe at each end. This rug is in very good condition, with bright colours, and a tight weave. No obvious marring noted. Measures 78"W x 98"L