“Paragüitos de Puerto”: The Embroidered Mexican Soccer Jersey of Puerto Escondido

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When Michael Morales, a former semi-professional soccer player, approached Ana Carmen Aguilar Cuevas, an Indigenous Oaxacan Embroiderer, about an original piece of artwork – creativity sparked, and a relationship of soccer and flowers bloomed. The “Paragüitos de Puerto” Embroidered Mexican Soccer Jersey harbors a beautiful story full of ancestral traditions and lessons on creativity stitched into every thread of fabric. 

Ana Carmen is the youngest daughter of an Indigenous Chatina mother, Celedoñia Cuevas, and Zapotec descendant father, Carlos Aguilar, both who traveled from their pueblos of Santa Catarina Juquila and Ocotlán de Morelos to find home in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. Her lineage and the memories of her parents and siblings growing up in the hidden port of the coastal pueblo [community] are where these traditions are cultivated and have been passed down to her children, greater family, and pueblo.

She began embroidering as a young girl attending elementary school and at home, “my mom and sisters embroidered in their free time at home because they worked a lot.” “They would gather all the girls and together teach us, that's how we learned,” she shares. Spending hours with other women in her pueblo building community, practicing traditional techniques and learning new ones, Ana Carmen shares that she is an embroiderer by heart, “I enjoy attending the courses they organize to teach people here in our pueblo and I learn more every day; I love that they share the diversity of stitches available, especially from the regions of our state of Oaxaca.” A daily ritual, a daily practice and a connection grounded in a deep community of women and continuous learning. 

Michael, a former semiprofessional soccer player, grew up playing soccer with his family, friends and community on Cahuilla and Serrano lands, also known as the Inland Empire (IE). A son of working-class immigrant parents, he shares that soccer taught him many lessons and allowed him to cultivate many emotions like joy, resilience, and grit, “it taught me how to be a competitor, how to lose and win as a team.” It’s also where he first channeled his love for the arts, “it was one of the first ways my creativity began, experimenting with strategies and styles to outmaneuver my opponents — soccer is an art, and you create with it.” 

For Michael it’s been a life lesson, “I've always navigated with that mentality that feels very natural to me, and I live it with great passion.” As a scholar and practitioner of the game, Michael grew up meticulously studying and practicing soccer and went on to play for a semi-professional team in the state of Indiana. Although it’s been several years since he last played semi-professionally, now as a full-time commercial photographer and artist, he channels that creativity and determination into his creative work and on the field. As a member of his local soccer adult league, Michael constantly collaborates and supports efforts to get youth involved in soccer in the IE. 

When Michael visited Puerto Escondido for the first time in 2022, he was overwhelmed by its beauty, history, and traditions. The Aguilar Cuevas Family welcomed him with open arms, loving hearts and invited him to learn about Puerto Escondido’s oceans, lands and relatives cherished deeply by the families of this coastal pueblo. After visiting Puerto Escondido several times, he built a relationship with Ana Carmen and learned more about her embroidery, her dedication, and craft. He was inspired by her work and an idea emerged for the jersey, “I had a vision for creating something unique in a way that could showcase our creativity together— her love of embroidery and my love of photography and soccer.” “I saw an opportunity to navigate creativity with her in ways that one is traditionally not accustomed to doing,” he adds, “I'm honored that she was open to it.” Ana Carmen was thrilled when Michael approached her about the collaboration, “at first, I was surprised,” her eyes bright with excitement. “I never thought I'd be asked to embroider details on a soccer jersey, especially one for the national team, but I admit I was quite moved,” she adds. 

So, what inspired the art, designs, and colors of the Paragüitos de Puerto Jersey? “For me, talking about the paragüito flower is like going back in time, it's remembering our ancestors and their roots,” shares Ana Carmen. “Our original families had this plant as an ornament in our patios and gardens, we can say that it is a very grateful flower as it has the magic of reproducing itself in the streets and fields of our pueblo,” she adds. Paragüitos flowers are traditionally embroidered, honored and utilized in numerous ways including in pueblo regalia, artisanal art and used for gatherings in pueblo traditions, “it is our distinctive flower of the Coastal region of Oaxaca and emblematic of Puerto Escondido.” When describing her creative process with the embroidery for the jersey, Ana Carmen shared that it was a process of respecting traditions while creating new ones, “some of the figures wear specific colors, and that should be respected, and I chose to embroider our paragüitos, something representative of our place.” Her creativity with the process is like a story she shares, “one plays with the different stitches and the wide variety of colored threads that exist, and once it’s complete, it's a beautiful fantasy.” 

For Ana Carmen embroidering also embodies traditional medicine — a space of healing, wellness, and grounding — something we can all learn from. When her mother became sick several years ago, as the youngest daughter, Ana Carmen became responsible for her caregiving with support from her family. The joys and stress of caregiving can be laborious and overwhelming, filled with ups and downs, “those who care for or have cared for a close family member or friend full-time may understand that it can cause stress,” she shares. After experiencing health issues from chronic stress and other health conditions, embroidering became her refuge and space of wellness. “Since I became ill from stress, I'd already had two surgeries, and the doctor advised me to distract myself and take on activities to calm my body and that's how I decided to start embroidering again,” a practice that eventually improved her quality of health and cultivated a deep sense of purpose. For Ana Carmen, it was a return to traditional medicine that has been passed down for generations in her family. 

For Ana Carmen and Michael, it was a soccer jersey that eventually grew the relationship between these two creatives and dedicated artists. Once strangers, both have come to learn from each other how passionate they are about their life’s work and legacy. Connecting on their commitments to cultivating their unique passions, holistic health and joy for themselves and their communities. 

The jersey has traveled back to Southern California since then but its meaning, energy and relationship with Puerto Escondido and Ana Carmen keeps these two connected. For Michael, the jersey and his relationship with Ana Carmen has taught him about the importance of relationships, cultivating one's own creative craft and learning how Indigenous communities honor their lineages, “she invested her time, traditions and love into this project and used her hands, her full creativity to do what she felt was right.” “I’m just grateful and blessed that I've been able to have a relationship with her, and now this jersey is part of that relationship and a connection to her and Puerto,” he shares. Inspired by her as a human being, “her devotion to her heritage, her compassion and the love that she shows moved me — I look at this jersey and I see her, I see her roots and I see Puerto Escondido, I'm very honored.” 

As for Ana Carmen, she is determined to continue her embroidery and honor her role in passing on traditions while teaching others, “I admire and recognize the work of all our Oaxacan artisans, our embroiderers, who translate the wealth of their knowledge into the art and tradition of embroidery — I hope one day you'll give yourself the opportunity to visit and try it.” 

Acknowledgements: 

I’m grateful for my Tía Ana Carmen Aguilar Cuevas, for the love and knowledge she gives me, my family, our pueblos and everyone she meets. This labor of love was full of ancestral magic and I’ll never forget the pláticas, giggles, and passion that was put into creating this beautiful piece for Michael. No words can capture what these hilos (threads), designs and colors mean for me, my family and lineage. Thank you Michael for the respect, care and intentionality in working to highlight the work of Indigenous Artists through your photography, talents and passions.