Our Story
Foundation Mixtecos Unidos grew from a single moment in the Mixteco highlands of Oaxaca, and a belief that dignity, not charity, is what truly changes a life.
The moment it began
“I have nothing else to sell, but I know how to make baskets. My son is very sick and he needs medicine.”
A young mother in Tezoatlán, Oaxaca
On a trip to the Mixteco highlands, our founders met a young mother selling baskets, her feverish baby still in the carrier beside her. She marketed her work as loudly as her voice would allow, because in a place this poor, an untreated illness can be permanent, or fatal.
They bought her baskets. But they couldn’t stop thinking about her. That day, a bigger idea took hold: what if the very skill these families already had, weaving, could become a way to earn, to heal, and to stand on their own?
How it grew
It started with friendship. Neighbors and close friends from that region of Oaxaca were part of the family, and a visit to their home connected our founders back to their own roots. What began as helping one mother became a promise to a whole community.
The Mixteco are one of Mexico’s oldest indigenous peoples, with their own language and dialects. Many homes have no electricity, no doors, no clean water on tap. There was little to export and little way to earn. But there was a gift passed down for generations: palm weaving.
So we built a marketplace around it, selling baskets, bags, hats and wallets at cost, so the money goes back to the maker, and began teaching the next generation music, language, and more.
What we believe
Our mission is to preserve the Mixteco people and culture while creating educational and economic opportunities for self-sufficiency, and right here at home, to strengthen the whole North County community around us.
Face hardship with steadiness, character, and hope.
Do the most good with what we have.
Put the people we serve first, always.
Decisions made together, not from the top down.
The makers share in what they build.
The people
A volunteer board of neighbors, professionals, and friends, plus many members giving their time to build something that lasts.
Dr. Alejandro Paz
President
JC
Jaime Castaneda
Executive Director
JG
Joel Garcia
Vice President & VP of Marketing
MJ
Marta Javier
Treasurer
ES
Erika Schliem
Secretary
JH
John Herrera
Director of External Affairs
VP
Victor Paz Jr
Director of Messaging & Digital Communications
A full board group photo is on the way.
Twenty dollars a month makes you a Neighbor, and one of the hundred who keep this work steady for the families who count on it.
