From Toys to Memory
Josefina Pascual Cayetano and the Otomi women preserve the memory of their ancestors in rag dolls
Retrato de las manos de una artesana del Taller Döngu mientras trabaja en una muñeca Donxu (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Playing among the mesquite trees
"I was walking around all dressed up, carrying my doll, and looking after the animals," recalls craftswoman Josefina Pascual Cayetano. In the fields of San Ildefonso Tultepec in Mexico, Otomí girls played with dolls that their mothers sewed from scraps of cloth.
Retrato de la artesana Josefina Pascual Cayetano del Taller Döngu (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Dolls that speak no Spanish
Josefina grew up speaking only Otomi. The dolls were her first dictionary. Each embroidery named a farm animal, while every color told of corn and flowers. They were silent teachers of cultural identity.
Retrato de una muñeca Donxu elaborada por el Taller Döngu (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
From mothers to daughters
"My mom made my first doll," the craftswomen in the workshop say. They weren't toys from the store but extensions of maternal love, pieces of culture and heritage turned into companionship, scraps transformed into love.
Las artesanas del Taller Döngu bordan juntas (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Play and meaning
Mothers made dozens of dolls, but no longer for their daughters. "We used to help make them, but they stopped giving them to us," Josefina recalls. The toys became a source of income and childhood became family work.
Las artesanas del Taller Döngu recorren unas ruinas (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
The erosion of tradition
But this art was gradually lost over the years, as sales dried up and it ceased to be a source of income for families.
Retrato de la artesana Carmen Pascual Rafael del Taller Döngu mostrando una muñeca Donxu (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Self-recognition
Over time, the women of San Ildefonso Tultepec formed the Donxu collective and came to realize that their childhood dolls represented them. They were their roots, their customs, and above all, the memory of their mothers and grandmothers telling the stories of their ancestors.
Artesanas del Taller Döngu trabajando en sus bordados portando sus trajes típicos (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Many hands went into each doll
"More than one set of hands goes into making a doll," Josefina explains. One set embroiders the dress, another braids the hair, and another sews the body. It's a collective effort to which each woman contributes her specific knowledge.
Las artesanas del Taller Döngu bordan juntas (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Döngu: more than a workshop
The Döngu workshop opened in 2016. "We cry here, we vent, we support each other," Gloria Domínguez García says. The workshop is a refuge where women transform pain into embroidery, and loneliness into dolls that offer comfort. A supportive community spirit.
Retrato de las artesanas del Taller Döngu que trabajan juntas en sus bordados (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
The value of tradition
Most of the women in the workshop have had their art questioned and criticized. Some have even been told that it's worthless. But, thanks to the workshop and its legacy, many now support their families and community.
Retrato de la artesana Ma. De la Luz Gregorio Pascual mostrando una pieza del Taller Döngu (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
A family pillar
María De la Luz Gregorio Pascual helps her university-student daughter with her embroidery. The dolls and her craft have given her the strength to build a pillar for the future of her community.
Retrato de una muñeca Donxu elaborada por el Taller Döngu (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Dolls as mirrors
"Each doll resembles someone from San Ildefonso," the craftswomen observe. The almond-shaped eyes, colorful headdresses, and embroidered skirts are a collective self-portrait in which Otomi women recognize and celebrate themselves.
Retrato de las muñecas Donxu elaboradas por el Taller Döngu (2025-10-13) by Mario Vázquez SosaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico
Seeds for the future
"We want today's girls to play with them too," says Josefina, looking at her co-workers' daughters. The Donxu dolls are no longer just memories of the past: they are a promise that Otomi culture will live on in the little hands that learn to embroider through play.
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