Exploring Culture and Craft in El Salvador through Natural Fibers _ TRAMA: A Nesting Table and Stool Set with Floor Seating
Gabriela Nicole Cruz Galdamez
This thesis examines the cultural and material value of natural fibers in El Salvador, linking artisanal traditions with contemporary design. Motivated by a desire to understand my cultural roots, it explores how materials like mimbre, tule, and bejuco de montaña shape daily life
and community identity. Using anthropological research and material exploration, the study looks at harvesting, weaving, and craftsmanship processes.The resulting objects are functional, sustainable, and meaningful, fostering connection between people, their community,
and Salvadoran artisanal heritage.
About TRAMA:Nesting Table and Stool Set with Floor Seating
The final product is a modular nesting table and stool set with floor seating inspired by the ancestral weaving practice of the petate, using the natural plant fiber tule. It includes a low table, benches, cushions, and floor mats, offering multiple seating levels for flexible, informal interaction. The set is designed to foster social connection, dialogue, and community, translating an ancestral practice of coming together into a contemporary spatial experience that values both craftsmanship and its cultural heritage
Learning of the petate weaving technique. The weaving process is carried out whilst sitting on the floor.
Located in Sisimitepec, Sonsonate; The picture above shows how Huiscoyol wood is collected in a forest by the riverside. This wood is mainly used to craft the tools needed for the weaving process.
The photo illustrates the process of dyeing natural plant fibers with xiquilite or añil. Similar to indigo, this dyeing technique has been used since the Pre-Hispanic times.
Shown above is the process of crafting decorative handcrafted objects with the material called Mimbre, also known as Wicker.
Complete modular set displayed together, the components include a set of three stools, a low table, two floor mats and a three floor cushion set.
People interacting with the modular set (sitting, drinking coffee, and enjoying the space) while arranging the components according to their preferences
Petate floor mat displayed flat, rolled for storage, and ready to be installed on the floor.
