Ixchel Museum Collection
M-06262
Santiago Chimaltenango,
Huehuetenango

This beautiful huipil with a red background is distinguished by the formation of a grid made with the weft and warp lines. Small panels were sewn to the central panels to form the sleeves and the narrow rectangular European style collar unique to the Mam regions and surrounding communities. Each of the canvases is woven on a backstrap loom with additional geometric weft brocades. Because of the shape of the cuffed sleeves and collar, its style is almost unique in the Guatemalan Mayan textile tradition. It only shows similar characteristics to the ancient traditional and distinctive huipils of Sololá. It also stands out for the visual appeal given by the brocades, which its dimension, come to life through beautiful geometries and climatic patterns typical of Santiago Chimaltenango, a small municipality in the area and especially of that period of time, revealing stylistic variations very contrasting with those observed today in the vibrant textile tradition of this locality.

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