Paper long abstract:

Mexican Indians have endured uninterrupted crises from the XVIth Centruy up to now. I will center this paper on the use of "curve weaving" a weaving technique known in XVth century and modern times.

The hardships of the Spanish conquest meant, at a certain point, a shortage of fabrics and weavers required to produce paintings needed to exhibit rights, which would allow some Indians to claim land and privileges from the Spanish. Some used their old garments as canvases to paint on them. A handful of these lienzos, have survived to the present time.

In modern times, Indians produce pieces of garment, a large quantity of which are intended for the market..

These are Indian strategies to cope with crisis. They recycle garments, and they adjust to the demands of the market through innovation, design, new raw materials, native workshops and native entrepreneurship.