Rosalinda Cauich Ramirez facts for kids

Rosalinda Cauich Ramirez, born on February 24, 1962, is a talented Mexican artisan. She is famous for her beautiful basket weaving. Her amazing work has won many awards.

How She Started Weaving

Rosalinda grew up in Kopchén. This is a small town in Quintana Roo, Mexico. When she was seven, she received her first basket as a gift. She started making her own baskets when she was ten years old. At that time, a teacher came to her community. This teacher taught people how to work with plant fibers. Rosalinda began making fruit bowls and round baskets. Her father helped her a lot. He would collect materials for her. He also helped her get them ready for weaving.

What She Creates

Today, Rosalinda knows how to make over forty different designs. She creates baskets of all shapes and sizes. She also makes animal figures, fruit bowls, and carrying bags. She even weaves cradles, lamp bases, and flower vases.

She mostly works with a plant called guaco. This plant is a strong climbing vine. It grows in the higher parts of the Yucatan Peninsula. Her community first used this plant to make thatched roofs. There are eleven different types of guaco in Quintana Roo. The most common one is called tendón de sapo in Spanish. In Maya, it is called chiicheních much. If the vine is too tough, she boils it first. This helps to remove the bark. Then she can divide it into thin strips. She uses her hands to weave the vines. Sometimes, she uses her feet to hold the vines steady.

Sharing Her Talent

Rosalinda has taught her weaving skills to many people. She has taught her eight children. She also taught her nieces, nephews, and her husband, Jacinto Mex Puc. Her family depends on this weaving work to earn money. Her children help with the weaving activities.

Awards and Special Honors

Her weaving has allowed her to travel. She has met other artisans all over Mexico. She has also won many special awards. She has won first place in several craft competitions. For example, she won first place in 2011. This was for pieces made in the semi-rigid fibers category. This competition was organized by FONART.

In 1996, she was named a Grand Master. This honor came from the Fomento Cultural Banamex. In 2011, Governor Félix González Canto gave her another award. He named her a "distinguished woman of Quintana Roo."