"Beautiful hand-woven bracelets by Doña Lupita and Don Jacinto"

Doña Lupita and Don Jacinto live in what is called "La Zona de la Mixteca", one of the two most important indigenous areas in Oaxaca. Their little shop is located in the Mercado Central de Oaxaca, the central market of Oaxaca. Oaxaca is the most ethnically diverse Mexican state with over 200-plus indigenous dialects spoken. Don Jacinto met Lupita through an arranged marriage when he was 18 and she was 17. They have been together for 43 years and selling textiles for 42 years. They raised seven children together after losing two children to cholera, a very common disease around the Oaxaca area. Having been through so much together, Doña Lupita and Don Jacinto work as a team. She weaves the colorful rebozos, dresses, and rugs that cover their market stand while Don Jacinto is in charge of the sales process. Though Don Jacinto and Doña Lupita have not seen many customers since the violence began, both have been working together to keep their stand open in hopes of future tourism.

For market vendors such as Doña Lupita and Don Jacinto, a microloan would provide them with the opportunity to travel to the border state of Puebla to sell merchandise and expand business.