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Shapes and Patterns | |
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Look at the shapes and patterns on your clothing. What do you like about them? Why do you think a clothing designer might have chosen these particular designs? Look carefully at the geometric patterning on the lower portion of this huipil. Notice the alternating patterns and combinations of green, lavender, black, light blue, blue, green, turquoise, purple, red, magenta, yellow-green, and white. The shapes include triangles, interlocking vertical zigzags, diamonds, and parallelograms. The wearer of this huipil would have earned admiration and attention as she walked through her village. Woven and embroidered Mayan textiles are full of shapes and patterns. Typically, geometric shapes indicate an older design, and more naturalistic shapes indicate a newer one. Many newer textiles, however, use geometric designs as a reference to the traditions and history of Mayan art. The village of San Antonio Aguas Calientes (which means "hot waters") is near a volcano. The women there are among the most prolific back-strap weavers in Guatemala, producing textiles for local, regional, and even international markets. This huipil is an example of marcador (mar-kah-door) double-faced (or reversible) weaving, a technique that originated in the 1930s. The artists used European sources as a basis for the designs of flowers, fruit, birds, and leaves on the shoulders. Because of their complex and difficult-to-make designs, the marcador huipiles from San Antonio Aguas Calientes are expensive. People there and in other villages consider these high-status symbols. The blue velvet edges on the neck and armholes may indicate that this huipil was sold and worn in a different village. |
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September 2012
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