Two that I like to wear!
These dresses were collected in Mexico over 20 years ago by an archaeologist. They are characteristic of the type made in San Antonino, Oaxaca state, Mexico, by the Zapotec people. (thanks to 'teyacapan' for the ID) The tourist trade calls them "wedding dresses"; certainly they are highly-prized examples of fine needlework, each requiring weeks or months to complete. The embroidery is usually silk floss. The narrow band of smocking just under the embroidered section, gathering up the full part of the dress, is characteristic of this garment design and is especially lovely.
Tags: Zapotek Mexico Oaxaca dress huipil embroidery mosaic women's texile craft pleats tucks needlework antique fd'sflickrtoys handicraft tejido melystu
In a private collection for at least thirty-five years. Fine quality commercially-woven cotton and cotton floss. Embroidered neckline finished with crochet. it is a dual-purpose garment. The decorative bodice is for show, while the plain skirt serves as a slip under a skirt.
Thanks to "Teyacapan" for identifying the likely state of origin for this one.
Tags: textile bordado cotton Mexico huipil cross-stitch crochet tejido preserved flowers melystu
The hand-embroidered collar of a huipil, acquired from the maker/owner in the 1960s and preserved in a North American family since that time. (Not a thrift store buy, but linked here for you vintage-lovers.)
Tags: textile huipil needlework cross stitch grapes design cotton Mexico Yucatan Merida purple collection culture Maya bordado tejido embroidery melystu
Members of the folk group AWAL (grupo folklorico), from Arlington, VA. They performed with others of the troop at Peabody Essex Museum this past weekend as a fiesta for the exhibit "Fiery Pool: The Maya and the Mythic Sea". They were wonderful!
(View large!)
Tags: museum Salem textiles folkways Guatemala Maya dance Latina melystu Hispana huipiles indigenous mother daughter ethnic family 2010 ma
Taken in 2004, during a visit to this fascinating archaeological site in Chiapas, Mexico. Schoolkids (here we see part of the group) had dressed in their finest for a field trip (5 hours by bus from their mountain town, Tenejapa) to visit a shrine of their ancestors at this phenomenal site.
(See: Palenque: Eternal City of the Maya by David and George Stuart, for more on the history and art of this fascinating American place.)
www.amazon.com/Palenque-Eternal-City-David-Stuart/dp/0500... )
The men in be-ribboned hats are the village elders, dressed in ceremonial garb; they accompanied the group.
Tags: Maya Mayan Palenque ruins ethnic clothing textiles Native American heritage Mexico monuments melystu