Indigenous Pueblo Textiles
Louie Garcia is a Tiwa/Piro Pueblo fiber artist from Socorro del Sur Pueblo just south of what is today the city of El Paso in Texas, USA.
Traditionally, spinning and weaving among the early Pueblos was the realm of men. Louie, like many Pueblo weavers, began learning the foundation of the Pueblo weaving tradition at an early age from his grandfather, and he actively works to revive ancient and long forgotten techniques.
He cultivates heirloom Pueblo cotton for use in some of his work and uses various natural dyes including indigo and varieties of native plant dyes such as juniper root bark and tannin/iron dyes.
Louie has always been fascinated by the beauty and simplicity embodied in the many textiles that make up traditional Pueblo clothing. He explains that all aspects of Pueblo life are reflected in the clothing as the textiles themselves serve as milestone markers in one’s life on this Earth as well as in the spirit world, after we leave this world.