Description
- COLOUR: purpleblue-ish
- SIZE: 53 x 63 cm | 16.5 x 25″
- MATERIAL: cotton/acryl
- MAKER: Guatemala, municipalities of Sacatepéquez
- STATE: vintage
- CONDITION: good vintage condition
Good to know: One size fits all – but adjustments can be made accordingly. For example, you can tear open the sides, so you can wear your huipil as a poncho. This is also a good solution when the arms are too narrow. The material has a soft touch and falls nicely around the body.
This Huipil is from the department of Quiche, a mountainous region in Guatemala, on the border of Mexico. The native group that lives here is the K’iche’. The huipil is handwoven by this indigenous community.
Weaving is a truly age-old craft, whereas the techniques and designs are passed over for generations. Representations of women using the backstrap loom are found on Mayan art, dating back over two thousand years. The huipiles or ‘po’t’, the richly hand-embroidered blouses, are worn by indigenous women. Making huipiles is spadework; it can take up to 6 months to create one single item. With so many working hours in each piece, it feels like having a museum masterpiece in your hand.
Huipiles are one-of-a-kind: you won’t find a single duplicate.
Many symbols in your huipil go back to age-old representations from the Mayan culture, like rivers, animals, corn plants, the path of the sun and the forming of the natural landscape. Nowadays, symbols and styles can be traced back to its origin, as each Guatemalan town developed its own characteristic embroideries.
To secure our supply of huipils, we created a partnership with a local cooperative in Guatemala, which provides families with the opportunity to receive a fair price for their already- worn blouses.
