Meet Tito Mendoza

Erasto "Tito" Mendoza

I was born in Teotitlán del Valle in 1963, and am one of seven brothers and sisters. Like many of the families in my village, my father taught us the art of weaving at an early age.

In 1976, when I was 13, my uncle, Emiliano Mendoza, who was a well-known weaver, invited me to become his apprentice. With him, I learned to weave intricate traditional rugs, designs from Mexican codices, and reproductions of paintings by famous Mexican artists. Then, in 1989 I began to work with Arnulfo Mendoza. Arnulfo is a well-known textile artist, and with him I learned to weave with cotton and silk, incorporate metallic threads, dye with natural pigments as well as aniline dyes, and weave geometric designs inspired by antique Saltillo serapes.

Now I work independently weaving and selling my own traditional-themed rugs and wall pieces, which incorporate pre-Hispanic geometric design elements. My work has been recognized and commissioned by esteemed individuals including contemporary American artist and designer, Lisa Cicotte, and famed Mexican-American singer, Lila Downs.

I also represent my village and country internationally by participating in events such as the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the World Art Market at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, Canada. In Vancouver, I won second place in the Basketry Textiles Beadwork category.

My work has also been featured in the film, Woven Lives: Contemporary Textiles from Ancient Oaxaca Traditions, by Carolyn Kallenborn. At the VI International Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art in the AIR large format category, I was selected as one of the finalists. The piece was showcased at The Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum Museum in Mexico City.

Currently, I continue to design and weave new pieces and look forward to participation in events where I have the opportunity to showcase this traditional art form that has been passed down through generations in my family.

Most recently, I participated in exhibits including:

• Esplendor del Textil at the Museum Peter Gray in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
• Entretejiendo Culturas: Encuentro at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca in Oaxaca, Oaxaca
• Arropame Desde los pies: Tapetes Tradicionales y  Actuales at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca in Oaxaca, Oaxaca
• The Art is the Cloth  at the Art Institute of New Hampshire, Manchester.
• Honoring Tradition, Inspiring Innovation: Small Tapestry International at Orville Hanchey Gallery  Northwestern State University Natchitoches, Louisiana.
•  Equilibrio -Collaborative Installation : Carolyn kallenborn and Tito Mendoza, Madison Wisconsin 
• Tormentas y Sueños -Collaboration with Carolyn Kallenborn , Museo Rufino Tamayo , Oaxaca. México .
• México Textil , exposición colectiva en el Museo de Arte Popular (MAP) en la ciudad de Mexico, México 
• Rosas y Revelaciones" Homenaje a la Virgen de Guadalupe por artistas textiles mexicanos.
  Museo Estatal de Arte Popular Oaxaca  (MEAPO) Oaxaca, México 2018

"Rosas y Revelaciones" Homenaje a la Virgen de Guadalupe por artistas textiles mexicanos.
Museo Estatal de Arte Popular Oaxaca  (MEAPO) Oaxaca, México 2018

"Rosas y Revelaciones"
Ruana tejida en telar de pedal con hilo de algodón , detalles de la virgen con hilos metálicos y lana 
 técnica de tapicería
2018  

México Textil , exposición colectiva en el Museo de Arte Popular (MAP) en la ciudad de Mexico, Mexico 2018 

"Diamante Saltillero"
Lana, seda, detalles de hilos metálicos y urdimbre de algodón 
2018 

Tormentas y Sueños -Collaboration with Carolyn Kallenborn , Museo Rufino Tamayo , Oaxaca.Mexico 2018.

"Tormentas y Sueños"
 Lana y algodón 
2018

Equilibrio -Collaborative Installation : Carolyn kallenborn and Tito Mendoza, Madison Wisconsin 2016

"Equilibrio"

Hand Woven tapestry, beading emboridery and embellishment.

Wool, Silk, cotton, beads glass etc. 

2016

Exposicion The Art is the Cloth en  Deerfield Academy.

Nuevos Caminos relata  el recorrido de la gente por este mundo, recorrido de lo tradicional a lo contemporaneo, de la niñez a la adultez ,de los migrantes en busca de nuevas oportunidades, caminos largos he insiertos. El mismo artista a tomado nuevos caminos tratando de no perder su indentidad.

"Nuevos Caminos"

Tapiz  tejido en telar de pedal

Seda cruda, lana, hilos metalicos de oro y plata

2013

Entretejiendo Culturas:Encuentro

Exposición en donde participan 10 tejedores de Teotitlan del Valle, entre los cuales esta Erasto Mendoza Ruiz, que participa con una Pieza tejida con seda y algodón. La exposición se encuentra exhibida en el Museo Textil de Oaxaca hasta finales de febrero 2013

   






"Dioses zapotecos"
Seda, lana detalles de oro y playa
2014











The Mexican Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong

 The Mexican Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong just passed along the poster for the upcoming Mexican Film Festival in Hong Kong. Woven Lives is included as the only documentary.The beautiful background is a weaving done by talented Oaxacan weaver, Erasto "Tito" Mendoza - one of the artists in the film and a visitor to UW Madison last fall. This weaving inspired the theme for the whole film festival. For more information on the Film Festival: http://mexicanfilmfestival.blogspot.com/

Explendor del Textil 

Explendor del Textil The Zapotec village of Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, is internationally known for its colorful floor rugs and use of natural dyes. This unique exhibition at Puerto Vallarta´s Peter Gray Art Museum features a rarely seen collection of exquisite tapestries from some of the best Zapotec weavers, from miniatures to large format pieces, created exclusively for wall decoration. The luminous quality of these finely woven tapestries, presented for the first time in a group show of 14 artists, makes for a memorable visual experience.

 

Tito Mendoza from Teotitlan, Oaxaca Mexico visits UW Madison Textile and Apparel Design Program

This tapestry, designed and woven by Erasto (Tito) Mendoza, was a finalist at the VI International Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art in the AIR large format category. The piece was woven with wool, silk, cotton, and feathers on a cotton warp. The selected finalists´ textiles was display at The Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum in Mexico City in 2011. For more info about the Biennial, follow this link: http://www.wta-online.org/ING/