Omar Monroy is a Trans- nonbinary Oaxacan immigrant and artist of Mixteca descent. They use EL Techichi as a creative medium to honor their heritage and craft unique jewels. By blending traditional and contemporary materials, they draw inspiration from Mexico’s rich ecosystems and Mixteca artistry, infusing their creations with a distinctive NYC flair.

Born in Iztapalapa, Mexico, and raised on their native Mixteca Land in La Ciudad Heroica Huajuapan de León, Oaxaca, situated in the Baja Mixteca, Omar was brought to the “US” by their mother in 1999 to Ontario, California, which resides on Kizh Land.

El Techichi is a love letter to a young brown child who used to play makeshift cars with Mary-Kay boxes and who used to love their imagination and their creativity but also a love letter to Rue the Chihuahua, whose ancient magic was the catalyst for this whole adventure.

El Techichi Jewelry is created with the intention of being maximalist and gender neutral, a big belief of mine is that we created opulence and adornment to set a status and to make us feel closer to our deities and ancestors, it had nothing to do with gender, so why limit ourselves by gender constructs forced on us by colonizers.

Today, they call Lenapehoking ( Lower East Side in NYC) home, where they live with their partner, Adam, and their beloved Chihuahua, Rue.