Yoliztli is a cooperative that crafts artisanal sculptures and art pieces from metal and participates in an ESPERA (Economic Systems Providing Equitable Resources for All) community lending pool in Mexico. ESPERA is a program of Mary's Pence.

Yolitzli, a grass roots cooperative in Mexico, developed in 1996 as a result of the gathering of a bible study group.  The group was part of an ecclesiastical community, a branch of the Catholic Church, and utilized the method of See, Think, Create, and Celebrate to analyze the reality in which we all live.

This philosophy applied to reading the bible and thinking about God's message, as well as analyzing the socioeconomic environment at the local, state, national and international level.  With this approach, we wanted to see if we could begin to find solutions to the problems of our daily lives.

The year was 1996, not long after the Zapatista movement of 1994 that publicized the plight of the indigenous communities of Chiapas.  We analyzed this uprising and the causes for which the Zapatistas fought.  Although these indigenous peoples demonstrated peacefully in their request to be heard by authorities, no one attended to their needs or offered a solution to their just demands.  And these demands were for things to which any man or woman had a right, including the right to food, housing, decent work, education, medical support, etc.

Our study group recognized that the demands of these indigenous peoples were just, and also recognized that there were many of us experiencing the same challenges.  Unemployment in the group was high, we were still recovering from the economic crisis of 94-95, and the poor leadership of the governments of Salinas and Cedillo had left many on the streets.

We also recognized the importance of the unemployed obtaining decent work, and several proposals were made.  The Almanzas recounted how in the 60s and 70s they worked in a monastery of the Benedictine Order producing religious artifacts using Benedictine designs, with Father Gabriel Chavez de la Mora.  

 
After some analysis and commentary, we realized that for those of us over 40 years old who were unemployed, it would be difficult to find work. It was here that the idea began to form of starting a cooperative that produced artisanal products.  The idea was based on what we realized through study of both the bible and the Zapatistan principle that everyone deserves the right to decent work.  

 
We started up in March of 1996, a group of 12 people with many obstacles to overcome.  We started with absolutely nothing: no money to provide ourselves with a salary, no money to invest in tooling, most of us had to be trained in the work.  We had to learn to produce, to sell, to seek out markets for our product.  Throughout this transition we went through a lot; times of sadness, but also times of hope and of unity.  Through it all, we stayed true to our ideals, and believed in the combined strengths of each person.  This enabled our project to grow strong.

Our organization has as its cornerstone the commitment to ourselves, to generate jobs, to support the community in which we live, and to participate in civil organizations to share ideas for transforming a society with dignity and humanity.

The formation of our organization (cooperative) was funded by friends like Gerardo Thijsenn who is sadly no longer with us in this world.  He was an ally who helped significantly with the formation of this group, contributing his wisdom and experience, and inspiring people like his sister Willy Thijsenn to contribute to the formation of Yolitzli.

Willy was a person who dedicated much time and effort to the project.  She worked in her country of Holland, creating postcards that explained the objectives of our organization.  Once she began receiving contributions, she sent them to us to apply to the development of Yolitzli.  During that time, we believed that the Thijsenn siblings were angels who helped strengthen this project.  In fact, during times of sadness we might experience, like not having enough food for Christmas dinner, Willy would suddenly present a donation to us.

In 1997 Yolitzli registered with the Secretary of the Treasury to be a legally constituted company and to be eligible to receive benefits available from the State and Federal government.  We began seeking Federal support from SEDESOL as a project that created decent jobs.  We participated with 24 other projects, of which half were approved, and we received economic support in the amount of 72,000 pesos.  The funds were used to prepare catalogs, develop a brand for Yolitzli, and buy office equipment.

Once we had made contact with the state government, we were invited to participate in festivals and expositions, and were supported with space, transportation, food, and lodging.  At some of the events we sold well, but at others we did poorly.  This is how we learned to choose in which type of market to sell our product.  We therefore promoted our product in those cities, states, and places that were highly touristed.

 
Currently Yolitzli is comprised of eleven people: five partners and six non partners.  Seventeen years after formation we continue to grow slowly but firmly and consistently.  We have overcome obstacles thanks to the hope and constancy of our internal partners, and to the external groups who see Yolitzli as an alternative option for creating decent jobs in our society.   

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