During the last week of July, our master builder Max completed the first stage of the foundation with masonry for Margarita and Evelyn's house.
With this, we finished the base of the house thanks to the donations from friends of Tlalli Amealco and the investment in materials by Margarita and her family.
The foundation was undoubtedly one of the most demanding and time-consuming activities, so we had to rely on the support of a team of builders.
At this point, we will launch a new fundraising campaign for the construction of the bamboo structure. We sincerely thank all the donors and Margarita's family for supporting us in laying the foundation of the house.
Meanwhile, we were invited to the graduation ceremony of the students from Digital High School 139 in Cuauhtamazaco, where the Arquitectxs Descalzxs team presented diplomas to the top students and graduates. Of course, this was accompanied by delicious homemade bread and atole.
During the event, Professor Javier Ruiz, along with our students, presented the bamboo structure that will be used for the school's dining hall. Additionally, a visit was made to the site where the dining hall is being built.
Teacher Lucero Jaimes, our most enthusiastic collaborator, has been a great host, and we sincerely thank her for opening up the space for us to work with the school, parents, and students.
And if that wasn't enough, the Arquitectxs Descalzxs team, together with Professors Melissa Schumacher, Anne Kujenoja, and Bárbara Pierpaoli from UDLAP and Vivian Kadelbach from Universidad Anáhuac México, who are also part of the textile graphics project #Hilandoelterritorio, presented two workshops with the women from the Masehual Siuamej organization at the Hotel Taselotzin.
The first workshop was about the importance of dry toilets as part of an ecological sanitation project. The workshop was introduced by Dr. Melissa Schumacher and conducted by UDLAP biology student Rafael Aguilar.
The second workshop was about embroidery and Nahua landscape, also introduced by our director from Tlalli Amealco and conducted by anthropology student Andrea Galindo. Afterwards, the artisans from Masehual Siuamej, teachers, and students sat together to share experiences on how they capture their worldview and elements of nature using the pepenado technique. We learned about the differences between old and modern embroidery and received an invitation to visit the work being done in the community of Xiloxochico.
It was undoubtedly a few magnificent days in Cuetzalan, with the scent of wet earth, where new collaboration proposals emerged that we will soon share with you.
Below are some images from this fantastic week for the entire collaborative team:
