Otomi creators of the Lele doll are required to pay permits, they accuse

Nestor Jimenez

Newspaper La Jornada
Tuesday, May 31, 2022, p. 8

While the Lele doll, from the Otomí community of Santiago Mexquititlán, in Querétaro, is used to show off Mexican culture to the world, its inhabitants are prevented from selling them unless they pay permits, either in said entity or in the capital of the country, reproached Ignacia Mariano, originally from this town.

He left this region of Querétaro to live in Mexico City due to the lack of opportunities, but he has run into the same restrictions: They tell us that we can only be there if we pay a permit; In November they took my merchandise for fifteen days, and they did not give me the whole thing.

While supporting the Wixárika community that traveled on foot from Jalisco to ask for help from the federal authorities to recover their lands, Ignacia said that the Otomi settled in the capital also suffer from shortages, so due to the lack of support they decided to take over the facilities of the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI), to support other communities from there.

He explained that he has suffered from discrimination and the criminalizes people, before our doll was called María, but it made me angry, that’s why now we’ve named her Lelewhich means baby.

The popularity of the doll has meant that it is sold in Amealco, the municipal seat of the demarcation where Santiago is located, but only They take the doll and want to take possession of it saying that it is from Amealco, but it is not from there. They go and resell it without the effort of those who are filling it, they make her dress. They just want to buy it at a very low price to resell itadded Elsa Eugenio, also originally from Santiago Mexquititlán.

Small dolls require at least two days of work; the big ones are made in up to five days. Nonetheless, We sell it for 350 pesos for the largest one and they want us to leave it for 100 or 200, but I’m not going to finish my work because it costs meIgnacio said.

Elsa reported that they have confirmed the action of authorities and representatives of political parties that they buy bundles of dolls to give away, but they don’t give us anything. They only took the name and put the big doll that went to travel through several countries.