To make a living during the COVID-19 pandemic, indigenous artisans in Oaxaca are making face masks from a local material that grows in abundance across the state - palm fronds.

As Mexico's COVID-19 cases hit 16,752 with 1,569 deaths, the demand for medical supplies, especially facemasks, is ever-growing.

Meanwhile, according to a recent article, the demand for hats, fans, cords, earrings, baskets, and other handmade products -- usually produced by the native Mixtecs from the town of San Miguel Huautla using palm leaves -- has dropped tremendously during the health crisis.

According to Juana and her fellow artisans, conventional face masks are either impossible to find or severely overpriced in their area at 50-100 pesos or $2 to $4 apiece, but theirs only cost 5 pesos or $0.20 each.

Compared to disposable, synthetic face masks, the native masks appear to fit loosely but are washable, reusable, and easy to disinfect.

"With this mask, it is easier because you can wash it the same way, you can reuse it again, on the other hand, the other one cannot be washed because it then becomes ugly. It is faster and cheaper because now the masks are very expensive to buy," said López.

In Nochixtlán, a region home to a large Mixtec population, which has high rates of migration, marginalization, and poverty, women artisans separate the palm leaves into strips and weave the masks one by one. The vast majority of the communities of the Mixteca region rely heavily on handicraft, tourism, mobility, and lively public spaces in order to make a living, but the coronavirus pandemic has drastically diminished their source of income over the last 45 days.


Fortunately, their initiative has taken off also thanks to the government's mandate to wear face masks in public spaces, and the Oaxacan artisans have found clientele in nearby Asunción Nochixtlán, Huajuapan de León and other neighboring communities.

Aside from taking their own time to create valuable face masks for their own community, López and her fellow artisans also share the masks with other Indigenous groups across the country.

So far, they have donated more than 5,000 masks with plans to donate another 5,000.

Other Oaxacans have also extended their efforts to create products to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.  In Juchitán de Zaragoza, Zapotec artisans are making face masks decorated with the embroidered designs from the traditional blouses called huipiles of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region.


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The artisans were also guided by nurses particularly on the aspect of sanitation as they craft the face masks.

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old Oaxacan named Jorge Martínez designed and produced plastic face shields using a 3D printer earlier this month to support health workers battling the deadly disease.

Oaxaca Governor Alejandro Murat and his wife also went their way to help people fight COVID-19 by sharing on social media how to make a homemade face mask out of a scarf and rubber bands.