Do you know what a huipil is?

I attended an exhibition of paintings of women wearing huipil and I was absolutely amazed at their beauty. (both the paintings and the garments)

A huipíl is a form of Maya textile and blouse worn by indigenous women in southern Mexico and some countries of Central America. Many women are now opting to wear them here in American, I’ve heard it said that wearing them expresses your creative spirit.

In making the huipil, the weaver
works on a back strap loom sitting on the ground in front of
her doorway with the opposite end of her loom tied to a post.

Back strap looms allow the weaver to produce
very long pieces of cloth and the width of the cloth produced is
limited only by the width of the weaver’s reach.

The designs are brilliant in color and the motifs include a
multitude of flora and fauna. A huipil can have a breastplate, which is
considered the door to the huipil through which life enters and leaves.
I understand there are specific designs to country and region.
Villages are
recognizable by their design and use of different design motifs and
symbols native to Guatemala and Mexico.
Due to civil unrest in Guatemala, many groups
visible by their dress had to suppress their use.

For thousands of years the weaving of textiles was an important
part of daily life and now it’s recognized as a form of art. Now they are collectors items and some date back to the 30’s.

So I have some new ideas and one of these garments will travel back home with me….