Top-grade extra fine indigo powder, artisanally made from Indigofera Tinctoria (called Xiquilite locally) and extracted by a traditional fermentation process with wood ash at an organic farm in El Salvador, South America.
Our El Salvador indigo powder has a tested indigotin percentage of 53.8% and only 6.3% of wood ash, which is top-tier quality!
This indigo has a very particular smoky smell, as opposed to the compost/fruity smell of our indigo from India. This happens because wood lye from ashed logs is used for extraction.
Indigo history;
El Salvador has a long history with indigo; today, this country is the leading indigo producer in Latin America, followed by Mexico.
Mayans once used it to color pottery and to create rich shades of blue in their fabrics. As early as 800CE, the Pipil people cultivated the indigo plant and mixed it with clay to create a blue so tough that it remains on frescoes today. Archaeologists have uncovered Mesoamerican sites of ritual sacrifice where this blue covers all different pots and vessels. In the sixteenth century, Spain invaded El Salvador and dominated the area for 300 years. Inhabitants of El Salvador were enslaved and forced to produce large quantities of indigo and other crops. This production supported textile manufacturers in Europe for hundreds of years, and its production continued to grow through the industrial revolution.
With El Salvador's independence in 1821, indigo farming almost disappeared. Years of unstable government and poverty forced many to continue to work on farms barely making ends meet. The demand for natural indigo disappeared as synthetic alternatives were developed, and many farmers resorted to growing coffee and other exports.
Today farms have started again producing and exporting indigo. The renewed interest in natural dyes has increased the demand for quality products. There are special projects where ex-guerilla fighters are brought back into the workforce and incorporated into a peaceful economy. Jobs are being created and a country is rebuilding its sustainability upon the blue rivers of indigo.
Our Mayan Indigo is organic and Fair Trade, all harvesting is done by hand, employing local workers, and the leaves are transported to the fermentation tanks by oxcart, a traditional, low-environmental impact system.
Indigo Powder (Indigofera Tinctoria) from El Salvador - organic
Storage
Keep in a tightly closed container, stored in a cool, dry, ventilated area. Protect against physical damage. Maintain a constant temperature not to exceed 24° C. (75° F.). Containers of this material may be hazardous when empty since they retain product residues (dust, solids); observe all warnings and precautions listed for the product.
Heath and Safety
Do not ingest. Do not breathe dust. Wear protective gloves, safety goggles and a dust mask when handling fine dye powders and mordants.
Possibly harmful when swallowed or inhaled
Environmental Hazards
Natural dye powders are no known environmental concern. Mordants and mordanted dye baths should be disposed in a sensible way according to your local waste disposal laws.
