SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASA MAYAN HAND WOVEN HUIPIL

WELL HUNG - ART & COLLECTABLES

A MAYAN EXPERIENCE 

HUIPILS

THREADS OF TRADITION

WEAVING

GENERATIONS

TOGETHER

 VINTAGE COLLECTOR QUALITY  

HAND WOVEN COTTON

WOOL IS ALSO USED IN THE COLDER REGIONS

HUIPIL 

(  WEE - PEEL )

A VERY BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE AND TRADITIONAL HUIPUL FROM THIS VILLAGE

FEATURING WONDERFUL WOVEN ACCENTS AROUND THE COLLAR AND ARMS

 SELLING IN THE MARKET PLACES FOR $100 - $1000  

THIS IS NOT A MACHINE MADE FOR THE TOURIST MARKET HUIPIL BEING SOLD IN MANY PLACES 

MAYA INDIAN

MEXICO

FROM THE  CHIAPAS  REGION OF MEXICO

REPRESENTING THE VILLAGE OF

 SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS

" LIKE A SILVERSMITH'S  "

FROM THE MAYA  TZOTZIL AND TZELTAL

SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS

ONE OF MEXICO'S MOST BEAUTIFUL TOWNS

IT IS STUNNINGLY LOCATED IN THE FERTILE JOVEL VALLEY

WITH THE MOUNTAINS OF HUITEPEC TO THE WEST AND TZONTEHUITZ TO THE EAST

THE CITY IS A CHARMING BLEND OF COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE AND INDIGENOUS CULTURE

CHIAPAS

MEXICO

BETWEEN 500 BC AND THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF 1519 POWERFUL MAYA KINGDOMS SUCH AS PALENQUE OCCUPIED PRESENT DAY CHIAPAS

REMARKABLY MAYA TEXTILE TRADITIONS HAVE SURVIVED REGIONAL INVASIONS BY OTHER PRE-COLUMBIAN CULTURES

WITHSTOOD THE COLLAPSE OF THE ANCIENT CLASSIC MAYA CIVILIZATION - ENDURED THE ONSLAUGHT OF A BRUTAL SPANISH CONQUEST AND EVENTUALLY FLOURISHED IN PASSIVE RESISTANCE TO FORIEGN RULE

THE TRADITIONS MAINTAINED AND EXPRESSED IN THEIR DAILY DRESS HAVE HELPED THE MAYA TO CONTINUE THEIR CUSTOMS IN THE FACE OF OVERWHEMING PRESSURE AND CHANGE

THE MAYA WEAVING THEIR TRADITIONAL COSTUME IS PROUDY IF NOT DEFIANTLY PROCLAIMING TO THE WORLD I AM MAYA

IN THE TEXTILES OF CHIAPAS THE MAYA CONCEPTS OF TIME - SPACE AND THE MYTHOLOGICAL FORCES OF NATURE ARE INTERWOVEN. THROUGH REPEATED CYCLES OF BIRTH - DECLINE - CONQUEST AND REVIVAL

WEAVING HAS PRESERVED THE DESIGN OF THE MAYA UNIVERSE

THEIR TRADITIONAL CLOTHING REPRESENTS A IDENITY AND CULTURE GOING BACK CENTURIES

CHIAPAS REMAINS A POOR AGRICULTURAL STATE. THE POOREST IN MEXICO. THEY STILL SUFFER TODAY AFTER

THE ZAPATISTA REBELLION OF 1994

THESE ARE COLLECTOR QUALITY AND RANGE IN AGE FROM 1 TO 15 YEARS OLD AND THE VINTAGE HUIPILS AND TEXTILES ARE FROM 15 TO 50 YEARS OLD AND OLDER

UNLIKE HUIPILS MADE TODAY FOR THE TOURIST TRADE WITH MACHINES THESE ARE HAND WOVEN USING TRADITIONAL COTTON THREADS ON A HAND HELD OR BACK STRAP LOOM. IT CAN TAKES MONTHS TO PRODUCE ONE HUIPIL

THE SIDE SEAMS ARE EITHER LEFT OPEN OR SEWN UP JUST ENOUGH TO PROVIDE ARM OPENINGS. WHICH MAKES THE HUIPIL EASY TO ENLARGE THE ARM  AND NECK OPENING IT IS TO BE WORN OR OPENED FOR DISPLAY

HUIPILS ARE WORN AS A BLOUSE TUCKED IN OR AS AN OUTER PONCHO

HUIPILS FROM THE LOWLAND REGIONS ARE MADE FROM A LIGHTER COTTON BECAUSE OF THE HEAT AND THE BACK AND FRONT PANELS ARE GENERALLY WOVEN TOGETHER WITH ARM HOLES. THE WEAVING CAN EASILY BE OPENED

HUIPILS FROM THE HIGHLAND REGIONS ARE MADE FROM A HEAVIER COTTON FOR WARMTH AND THE FRONT AND BACK PANELS GENERALLY ARE LEFT OPEN

COLLECTORS TODAY USE INNOVATIVE METHODS TO DISPLAY THERE COLLECTIONS SUCH AS - WALL HANGINGS - TABLE OR FURNITURE COVERINGS OR FRAMED WITH THE NECK OPENING USED TO DISPLAY PAINTINGS OR PICTURES  ETC.

HUIPILS

HUIPIL ( WEE - PEEL )

  IS A SPANISH TERM FOR A MAYAN WOMAN'S BLOUSE - IT IS THE MOST PERSONAL, COMMUNICATIVE AND SIGNIFICANT PART OF HER TRAGE OR COSTUME, AND THE GREATEST FORM OF THE MAYAN CULTURE'S WEAVING HERITAGE

IT IS USED TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC VILLAGE OF THE WEARER - SOMETIMES HER SOCIAL. MARITAL STATUS, RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, WEALTH, AUTHORITY AND INDIVIDUALITY

IN THE MID 1960'S THERE WERE OVER 200 DIFFERENT TRAGE STYLES IN GUATEMALA. UNFORTUNATELY TODAY THIS NUMBER HAS GREATLY DECLINED. EACH VILLAGE HAS ITS OWN STYLE AND COLORS

WELL WOVEN TRAGES ( HUIPILS ) ARE VERSATILE AND DURABLE. THIS CREATES AN EXCELLENT CHANCE FOR A COLLECTOR TO OWN A PIECE OF MAYA CULTURE AND HISTORY

THE WIDTH AND LENGTH OF THE HUIPIL ARE DEPENDENT ON ITS AGE, REGIONAL PREFERENCES, LOOM WIDTH AND OCCASION FOR WHICH IT IS WORN

A HUIPIL REPRESENTS  EXPRESSION AND PRIDE AMOUNG THE MAYA

MAYA WEAVING

ACCORDING TO MAYA QUICHE MYTHOLOGY OF THE NEW EMPIRE

   AD 987 TO 1697 ON OUR CALENDAR

IXCHEL, THE MOON GODDESS, CONSORT OF ITZAMAN, THE SUN GOD, WAS THE PATRON OF WEAVING. THE DAUGHTER OF THE SUN AND MOON GODS, IXCHEBEL YAX, IS THE PATRON OF BROCADING AND EMBROIDEREY

THE MAYA TODAY WEAVES THE FINEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL TEXTILES ON A HIP OR BACK - STRAP LOOM AND SOMETIMES A FOOT LOOM

WHILE THE DESIGNS ON THE WEAVING APPEAR TO BE EMBROIDERED IN MOST THEY ARE ACTUALLY CREATED AS THE FABRIC IS WOVEN

THIS TECHNIQUE USES 3 TYPES OF BROCADING

1.  SINGLE FACED  -  PATTERN IS VISIBLE ONLY ON THE FRONT SIDE OF THE WEAVING. REVERSE SIDE SHOWS ONLY THE PLAIN GROUND WEAVE

2.  TWO FACED  -  THE INVERSE IMAGE OF THE BROCADED PATTERN ON THE FRONT APPEARS ON THE BACK OF THE WEAVING

3.  DOUBLE FACED  -  THE MOST COMPLICATED AND HIGHLY VALUED  -  THE PATTERN IS VISIBLE ON THE BACK AND FRONT OF THE WEAVING

CONTEMPORARY DESIGNS HAVE 4 BASIC FORMS:

1. - DIAMONDS  -  WHICH SYMBOLIZE THE EARTH AND SKY AS A UNITY

2. - UNDULATING FORMS  -  LIKE SNAKES - WHICH SYMBOLIZE THE FERTILE EARTH

3. - FORMS WITH 3 VERTICAL LINES  -  WHICH SYMBOLIZE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD - THE COMMUNITY - AND ITS HISTORY

4. - FIGURES  -  SUCH AS TOADS ( THE MUSICIANS OF THE RAIN ) - BIRDS - ANIMALS - PATRON SAINTS - ETC.

HUIPILS OF COLLECTOR QUALITY TODAY DEMAND A PRICE BETWEEN $100 TO $1000

SIZE

WIDTH  -  24 1/4 "

LENGTH  -   20 1/2 "

IN EXCELLENT CONDITION

 BECAUSE OF AGE AND USE THERE MAY BE SLIGHT WEAR AND FADING. AS WITH ANY HAND MADE ITEM THERE MAY BE SOME NATURAL IMPERFECTIONS. WHICH SETS EACH HUIPIL APART FROM THE NEXT. NO TWO ARE THE SAME. EACH IS IT'S OWN UNIQUE CREATION

SHIPPING COST FROM GUATEMALA

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