Curated Chiapas Set
Zinacantán style through time / El estilo Zinacantán a través del tiempo
Each village in Chiapas, Mexico has its own unique style of clothing that is rooted in deep textile making traditions, but changes and evolves through time. The Maya village of Zinacantán is a major producer of flowers for the region and across Mexico. It is also known for its bright and elaborate textile art, which in recent decades has featured bold and elaborate floral designs. This selection of woven shawls from Zinacantán illustrates how artists’ styles have changed over the years to feature larger, more elaborate flowers, more colorful and even metallic thread, and different edging. Some of these changes are due to the introduction of embroidery machines, acrylic fibers, and synthetic dyes. However, some aspects also stay the same, such as the presence of flowers, stripes, and tassels.
A77:1:295 | This shawl (mochebal [Tzotzil/Tzeltal]; chal [Spanish]) was purchased by SMM curator Lou B. Casagrande in Zinacantán, Chiapas, Mexico in 1978. The shawl has pink, blue, orange, and yellow stripes along the top and bottom selvedges, and has small, brocaded floral design in bright acrylic yarn above the tassels.
A94:3:3 | This shawl (mochebal [Tzotzil/Tzeltal]; chal [Spanish]), made by an artist in Zinacantán, was purchased by SMM Cordry Intern Roberta Yamada in San Cristóbal de las Casas in 1994. It is a girl’s shawl woven on a backstrap loom using boldly colored cotton and metallic thread. The prominence of colors other than red in this piece demonstrates techniques which were new in Zinacantán in 1994. There are two embroidered designs above the tassels, which feature flowers, birds, and basket motifs.
A97:8:2 | This shawl (mochebal [Tzotzil/Tzeltal], chal [Spanish]) was purchased in 1997 by Lori Benson for SMM from the woman wearing the shawl. It is woven using glittering synthetic thread, and featuring stripes, geometric design, and a circular design of birds and flowers above the tassels.
A2013:1:5 | Purchased by Science Museum of Minnesota's curator Ed Fleming in Zinacantán in 2013 for use in the Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed exhibit. This shawl (mochebal [Tzotzil/Tzeltal], chal [Spanish]) features synthetic and cotton threads with elaborate, machine-embroidered flowers and leaves throughout, and a cut and embroidered edge.
RC004:16 | Photograph of two Zinacantán women weaving with a backstrap loom. Photograph taken by Jeffrey Foxx/Christiana Dittmann, July 1978.
Photograph of Zinacantán women wearing shawls in the market. Photograph taken by Ed Fleming, 2013.