Huichol Art

Huichol Art – Bead and Yarn Decorated Pieces

Discover Huichol art – some of the most beautiful, unique and masterfully-crafted Mexican folk art.

About Huichol art

The Huichol people of Jalisco, Durango, Zacatecas and Nayarit, Mexico, known in their native language as Wixáritari, are globally recognised for their fantastically intricate, spiritually significant and brilliantly colourful bead and yarn folk art.

While Huichol art is most commonly thought to encompass the production of beaded and yarn art, which is always brightly coloured and features symbols, animals and designs which are centuries old and of great significance to the Wixáritari people.

Beaded Huichol art is typically seen in the form of jewellery and bowls, but also masks and wooden animal figures, whereas the wax-and-yarn artworks (popular amongst Durango-based Huicholes in particular) tend to be wall hangings. The one consistent thread running through all modern Huichol art is the religious significance of each piece, as well as its status as a valuable source of income for Wixáritaris.

The artwork allows them to express their reverence, relationship, and interdependence with nature including earth, water, fire, and air.

Mexican huichol artist with traditional hat decorated with beads and feathers

Photography by Mr.TinDC

  • Sold out
    £985.00

    Huichol cow skull decorated with beads

    A magnificent Huichol resin cow skull intricately decorated with beads, in a contemporary grey and light blue colour combination. This piece was specially commissioned for MexArt. The peyote design at the centre of the forehead symbolizes the spiritual links between earth and the universe. The word Huichol means soothsayer or shaman. The shaman links the community with the "other world" from where their creativity pours forth as a gift from their deified ancestors, to be given back as offerings to the gods. The Huichol artists originate from the Sierra Madre Mountains in the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. The piece has a hole on the back to enable it to be wall-mounted. Dimensions: 43cm (w) x 28cm (d) x 67cm (h) Weight: 3.70 kg
    £985.00
    £985.00

The pieces below are no longer available, but we can usually commission similar ones. Contact us for details.

  • Sold out
    Large handmade huichol resin cow skull decorated with bright color yarn, glued with bee's wax with a design of a sun and a moon
    £985.00

    Huichol cow skull decorated with yarn

    A magnificent Huichol resin cow skull decorated with yarn. The centre of the head is decorated with a sun representing power, and a moon representing fertility. The candles on the sides represent offerings to the gods, the peyote cactus at the top centre symbolizes the spiritual link between earth and the universe. The word Huichol means soothsayer or shaman. The shaman links the community with the "other world" from where their creativity pours forth as a gift from their deified ancestors, to be given back as offerings to the gods. The Huichol artists originate from the Sierra Madre Mountains in the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. The piece has a hole on the back to enable it to be wall-mounted. Dimensions: 43cm (w) x 28cm (d) x 67cm (h) Weight: 3.70 kg
    £985.00
    £985.00
  • Sold out
    £160.00

    Bead Coyote

    An incredible example of Huichol art, this howling coyote was meticulously hand-decorated with thousands of tiny beads. Dimensions: 4.5cm (w) x 13cm (d) x 14cm (h) Weight: 0.25kg
    £160.00
    £160.00