Viviana Alvarez

Doña Viviana Alvarez has been creating candles since she was eight years old. When necessity prompted her to promote her work beyond church gratuity, she resisted the town elders’ opposition to her entrepreneurial impulse and the loss of moulds inherited from her grandmother to open the gates to artistic, innovative candle-making. Four generations of female artisan candlemakers work today to international acclaim at the family home in Teotitlán del Valle, proudly named Casa Viviana. Doña Viviana continues her dedicated practice, teaching and creating a proud profession for Zapotec women previously denied access to this knowledge.