With some few exceptions
the main problem with most of these saddlers and craftsmen somewhat disorganized, fixing, and some even irresponsible suspicious to
meet time and quality on large purchases orders, seeing the opportunities posed by those problems in their process gave a big opportunity
for PITEADOFINO with hard work and vision to consolidated in the need of this art with good quality.
The main problems presented by
the producers in this area are:
1 .- Every day is fewer the art-craftsmen which make original embroideries with pita articles
that now mostly the factory harness is based on a single family of termination of leather belts (why here they are called saddlers'
Vaquetones Lazy") embroidered with cotton yarn (double zero) pita imitation which involved several members of the family bonding leather
strips leather and lining, which sometimes is the same type of cheap leather used to cover the rigging into the embroidery to save
a few cents.
2 .- In this "Laziness" easily they give the leather strips previously opened with drawings to a group of embroidery
who collect such leather strips engraved on the outside to be embroidered in the penitentiary centers where the inmates embroidery
this embroidery collector group has granted government monopoly that gives them only to them access to facilitate this work "opportunity"
to the inmates of these prisons.
Once those strips are embroidery back to the saddler shop that identify theirs from others for an
iron mark engraved on the inside of such strip on the area where the pins go, this simple detail an bad habit of putting scratches
to mark sizes and measures with pen and not having good general care of cleaning finished embroidery leave visible of the lack of
good quality and cleanliness in their finished products.
Today, thanks to this Web site they can see how good quality must be for piteado
belt to add value to their belts Now buckles strive include drop-tipped stainless steel that lasts more than the buckle flat-tip,
through this portal they also have realized that the embroidery work looks better without "Chisel skin" surrounding the embroidery
as an absurd imitation of products that are made in northern Jalisco and Zacatecas used to "pearl" with a engraving tool too thick
for the rapid finished but gave them a very bad appearance. Something now good from this region is they stop this bad finished not
trying to copy design rules from others, making a grotesque appearance to the product that look "pock" in its external view.
4 .- Looks harder to those art-craftsmen that changed in the near future the use of thick, rough leather for their elaborations,
suppliers have them greatly influences do not want to lose their market place, and they have not even realize that using this type
of thick cow leather with techniques taught from the Spanish colonial era, today in this age limits them to make products commonly
used for demanding markets that require soft fur with better textures to the manufacturing of others items as slippers, sandals or
footwear.
5 .- The interaction of most of these "Lazy Saddlers" is presumption, they require us and press to expose the art and first
techniques of piteado was taught first in this area from the Spanish conquest in what today is ??the municipality of Vega de
Alatorre in Veracruz where for the type of landscape has always been prodigious with good livestock also that there is evidence that
pita fiber always existed in the state of Veracruz in locations such as Venustiano Carranza municipality of Carlos A. Carrillo in
Veracruz where highway 175 from San Juan Bautista Veracruz - Tuxtepec Oaxaca, south side Papaloapan river near Cosamaloapan
and in the Sierra of Santa Marta in the Tuxtlas region where today an ecological law protection makes not viable its exploitation,
the Spanish conquerors on their way to the big Technotitlan named "Mata de Pita" a community near the international airport of Veracruz,
the abundance of such plant in that area, due urbanization today has finish with such plantings but the community is still called
"Mata de Pita" and the same for the town of "
We found no documentary evidence even in this area show that piteado
art born here. Only historical and archaeological sites are obvious facts that make logic that piteados first products were developed
in
Jalisco their music and folklore traditions have always made a very viable market for the sale of these products
until today most of these "Veracruzan Saddlers' supplement this Jalisco demand with their production. Their best customers are from
states of Jalisco, Nuevo Leon, Zacatecas and Sinaloa in general Northern states of the
No records exist of someone developing electronic machined embroidering imitation products in the state of
Those still working on “piteado” items in this area are engaged for their
lacks of creative ability are only poorly finished belts. Often presumed among them the big trucks filled with their production, with
medium quality and always seem to be very busy, "putting sizes" because their biggest client are coming from the north to take his
"Great" production. Those producers also unsuccessfully made their partnerships and cooperative “piteado” groups wanting to monopolize,
limit and control what is a nature and fine art when it is made it with love and passion for such piteado art.
Municipally promoted each year in May the Expo-Emilio Carranza (A cattle, craft and cultural fair) where artisans exhibit articles that make unique this region in piteados items development, in Vega de Alatorre also has its own carnival in the month of March which also exhibit the exquisite richness of this region in works made with this art.
The main conception of PITEADOFINO was born in Veracruz, the strength of its structure is to thankfully return to the community with something in kind or resources to create alternative sources of income-generating jobs among some marginalized by poverty areas of this beautiful state of the Mexican Republic .
