Reviving Tradition, The Art and Sustainability of Snail-Derived Purple Dye
In the coastal region of Oaxaca, Mexico, the Mixtec people of Pinotepa de Don Luis uphold a centuries-old tradition: extracting a vibrant purple dye from the Plicopurpura columellaris snail. This practice, dating back at least 1,500 years, involves “milking” the snails to obtain a milky secretion used to dye cotton threads a brilliant violet known…