The Mexican town that found its craft from an unexpected source

Artisans in the town of Cajititlán, Jalisco, have become known for making beautifully detailed items from horsehair that would otherwise be discarded by farmers. They make everything from bracelets to tassels and more.

Published February 11, 2023

Little Lake Cajititlán lies 25 kilometers south of Guadalajara. Sprinkled along its shore are small communities of very talented artisans. After visiting several of them, I came to the largest town around the lake, also named Cajititlán.

I knew of no dominant craft there and suspected that its “specialty” must be its big tianguis (market), where the crafts of all the other communities were sold every week.

“Doesn’t Cajititlán produce a handicraft all its own?” I asked a local man.

Little Lake Cajititlán lies 25 kilometers south of Guadalajara. Sprinkled along its shore are small communities of very talented artisans. After visiting several of them, I came to the largest town around the lake, also named Cajititlán.

I knew of no dominant craft there and suspected that its “specialty” must be its big tianguis (market), where the crafts of all the other communities were sold every week.

“Doesn’t Cajititlán produce a handicraft all its own?” I asked a local man.

It was hard to believe the beautiful belts they were selling were actually made of horsehair until Consuelo took us to a back room and showed us how easily she could weave a few long strands of a horse’s mane into tresses, which were then interwoven with others, eventually resulting in a belt or bracelet displaying beautiful patterns.

Read more [,,,]