John Connelly and Freddy Janka explore the evolution of weaving in Mexico, from the ancestral backstrap loom to the physically demanding upright pedal loom introduced by the Spanish. They discuss how Porfirio Gutiérrez navigated the economic and creative constraints of craft production in Teotitlán del Valle and how migration impacted his work. They focus on how Gutiérrez documents centuries of labor while asserting the desire of Indigenous people to be seen as contemporary and innovative.