The Unbroken Thread: Conserving the Textile Traditions of Oaxaca

Housed in the former sixteenth-century convent of Santo Domingo Church, now the Regional Museum of Oaxaco, Mexico, is an important collection of textiles representing the area's indigenous cultures. The collection includes a wealth of exquisitely made traditional weavings, many now considered rare. This book details a joint project of the Getty Conservation Institute and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) of Mexico to conserve the collection. The book contains 145 color photographs as well as a wealth of information on weaving, cultural contexts, and conservation issues.

Brighten your coffee table with a special treat from Oaxaca, Mexico. In The Unbroken Thread, the Getty Trust presents a magnificent and unique collection of lavish, full-color photos and narrative that illustrates and describes the special lives--as well as the vibrant threads--that are woven into the centuries-old tradition of Mexico's Oaxacan fabrics. Kathryn Klein discusses techniques, from color-dying different fibers to colorfully weaving designs that are both symbolic and indicative of the wearer's community. She includes a chapter on the evolution of the weaving and the histories that it embodies. The 2,000-textile collection of the Regional Museum in Oaxaca is given special consideration. It was once housed in a 16th-century convent and has been restored to its original beauty.