Ignacio Salamanca. That’s the name of the person who taught Ruth Preciado to weave. Although her maternal and paternal grandparents were lifelong weavers who supported their families with their spinning wheels, Ruth only came to truly learn the artistry of the craft much later, in 2022, after a bankruptcy made her rethink everything and start over. It was during this turning point that she realized weaving was something she had loved since childhood but had stopped practicing due to the twists and turns of life. With the renewed energy that second chances can bring, she dove back into weaving with all she had—nothing more, nothing less than a spirit brimming with enthusiasm—and picked up the needles again.

She recalls weaving being a skill taught to children in school, and she was no exception. But lacking needles and with her family unable to afford them, she looked around and saw potential in old bicycle spokes. And those spokes turned out to be quite useful. Perhaps this resourcefulness explains why, years later, when she discovered the possibilities of the loom, she did whatever it took to acquire one. Life rewarded her with a workshop where she not only radiated enthusiasm but also demonstrated talent. The instructor even told her she could easily make a career out of weaving because she had the hands and ingenuity for it. Then, a family friend, an exceptional weaver who had no heirs willing to learn his craft, took Ruth under his wing. That was Don Ignacio. Fascinated by weaving, Ruth shared her learning with him, and it was as if a spark was lit in him. He took her by the hand, taught her all the secrets of loom operation, and helped her set up her own loom.

It turns out that classmates, impressed by her enthusiasm, told Ruth about some looms on loan at the Iza town hall that were not in use. She wasted no time asking about them. Retrieving them was an odyssey, as they had been neglected for over two decades and were in a terrible state. Anyone else might have given up on their deplorable condition, but not her. She took it as a sign and gathered her courage. With Don Ignacio and Pedro, her husband, a faithful partner in both successes and failures, by her side, they revived the loom. Restoring the loom gave Don Ignacio a new lease on life, as he later confessed to Ruth, such was his joy at being able to handle the tool that had woven his life and that of his family. Together, they repaired and restored the mesh, comb, drum, and frames, getting the loom ready to go.

It hardly seems like it was just a short time ago, given how much her life has changed. Her children, Manuel Felipe and Silvia Natalia—one an electronic engineer and the other a theologian—are the first to proudly wear their mother’s creations. Her husband has become a more skilled weaver than Ruth herself. The couple runs what has become their family business, and when their children visit, everyone weaves, lights the fire in the yard, and gathers around a sancocho, diving into their work with the wool. Ruth sees a great potential and passion for weaving in Manuel and dreams that he will continue this legacy one day. Meanwhile, her passion continues to flourish, and she leverages her sewing skills learned at Sena as a young woman to explore fashion as a real growth opportunity for her Rueca Izana. She feels that, along with other local artisans, including the Rebancá workshop, they are rekindling the weaving craft that once defined Iza. And in doing so, she honors her weaving grandparents with both her heart and her hands.