Colección Museo Ixchel
MI-03794
Huipil / Huipil
Santa Cruz del Quiché
Linguistic community : K’iche’

This historic and classic huipil is made of industrially manufactured washed cotton cloth. It maintains the rectangular shape of some ancient Mayan huipils with a central opening to introduce the head, a feature that also characterizes some pre-Hispanic styles of this piece.

Around the neck there is an exceptional embroidery that displays the mastery of the author, who with skillful hands gave life to a constellation of dots, flowers, animals and birds in a symphony of colors typical of that time, among which stands out the beautiful quetzal, symbol of Guatemala. Flora and fauna have always been present in the ancestral Mayan art and cosmovision, since ancient times they continue to take on a leading role as one of the most recurrent sources of inspiration in Mesoamerica in the past and present.

The embroideries were made with rayon threads. The stitches used to create these figures are back stitches and cross stitches. All these stitches remind us that with perseverance, practice and skill, those who dedicate themselves to traditional embroidery achieve perfection and gratification in their work.

To view the video of this piece, click here.