page_title: Ana Karen Allende
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Ana Karen Allende / History
caption_attribution_description: Dolls created by Ana Karen Allende of Retacitos http://retacitosjuguetes.blogspot.mx/
context_page_description: Ana Karen Allende is a Mexican artisan from the Mexico City borough of Coyoacán, who specializes in creating rag dolls and soft fabric animals. The tradition of making rag dolls in Mexico extends back to the pre-Hispanic period with the making of rag dolls reaching its peak in the 19th century. Allende's first doll was made when her sister was about to turn fifteen. For quinceañera celebrations in Xochimilco, it is customary to give the girl her “last doll” as a means of marking her transition from child to adult. Allende decided to make this doll herself, using sewing skills taught to her by her grandmother. Soon after, she began to make dolls for her friends and family, and the attention they received prompted her to think of selling them.
  Allende started her own small business called Retacitos in 2002 involving other members of her family, such as her at that time husband Sinhúe Lucas, along with contracting various single mothers in her area to work. She sells directly to the public only on Saturdays at the Art Bazaar in the San Ángel neighborhood. Her other sales are mainly to stores and museums.
context_section_description: The tradition of making dolls in Mexico stretches back to Teotihuacan, with finds of small clay dolls with movable limbs. While toys have been made since the pre Hispanic period, most archeological samples are in poor condition because of the natural materials they were made with. The making of handcrafted dolls continues in various communities, especially indigenous ones in Chiapas, Jalisco, Michoacán, Oaxaca and Querétaro using various materials, with those made from cloth and ceramic dominating. The making of rag dolls in Mexico reached its peak in the 19th century.
  Ana Karen's grandmothers taught her how to knit and embroider. Her great grandmother taught her and her sister, Lorena, how to paint and otherwise decorate their toys to personalize them. Her Mother encouraged them to create their own toys out of any material they could lay hands on. From this, she took an interest in painting and drawing, and with her parents’ support took lessons during her teens. Her grandparents lived in the center of Coyoacan, which allowed her to meet many of the artisans which sell there, learning how to work with wire. Ana Karen Allende was taught to sew by her grandmother, using a Singer sewing machine from the end of the 19th century. It was with this machine that she created her first two dolls.
  When she moved to Xochimilco, she became involved in the local culture through participation in weddings, religious festivals, quinceañeras and other events. Her younger sister was about to turn fifteen and in Xochimilco it is customary for a girl at her quinceañera celebration to receive her last doll from her godparents, a sign of passing from childhood to adulthood. These dolls have hallmarks of the rite of passage such as shoes with heels instead of flats. Allende decided to make this doll for her sister herself.
  This was the beginning of her research on the tradition of making rag dolls in Mexico. She soon began to make dolls as gifts for family and friends. The attention that the dolls received led to the idea of selling them. One of her first items made for sale were stuffed rabbits. She began to make and sell rag dolls and stuffed animals beginning in 2002 with the target market of making the “last dolls” of quinceañeras. Her then mother-in-law worked in cartonería and introduced her to many craftsmen in the city expanding her customer base. Since then, she has developed her craft to revive the tradition of making Mexican style handcrafted dolls and stuffed animals but with modern innovations.
caption: Dolls at the San Ángel stand
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