Since I, Eugene Vigil was born and raised in the Chimayo Valley, I have always had an interest for the traditions of the area.  My goal is to preserve and promote all aspects of Hispanic weavings, from the most traditional to the contemporary.  As my ancestors came to Chimayo Valley in the 1700’s they faced many different hardships and the only reason they survived the hardships is because they worked as a family unit.  Without the family members working in unity, the job of the other one would not be completed.  The same holds true today.  Without my wife, Rose, my textiles could not be completed.  She is the foundation of the traditional textiles I weave, by washing, carding, spinning and dyeing the wool.  It is after her job is completed thus I can then begin to weave the textiles on a loom both of us have built together. 

 

The feel of the hand spun yarn is of a rustic land.  The color from the plants which surrounds us in Northern New Mexico comes from local vegetation picked by our hands.  We create the dye by extracting the natural pigmentation from the plants we gathered during our field trips.  The design is of my culture, with simple stripes, twills, serrated diamonds, block design, hourglass, chispas, and seamed textiles.        

 

It is all of these elements that create a Rio Grande/Chimayo textile.  As a weaver, I try to incorporate these elements into a contemporary flair.  As a seventh generation weaver, I am proud to keep and pass on to future generations the Spanish tradition of weaving.