Curated Chiapas Set
Objects from the Tulan Family / Objetos de la familia Tulan
Former Science Museum of Minnesota curator, Lou B. Casagrande, traveled to Chiapas in the 1970s and 1980s and purchased many items from the Tulan family in the village of Zinacantán in Chiapas, Mexico. Tulan family members hand-made the pieces in this selection of objects. Jeffrey Foxx and Christiana Dittmann, photographers who have worked extensively in Chiapas, photographed the Tulan family at their home as they wove a wedding huipil (A77:1:136) SMM purchased.
A77:1:136 | A cotton wedding huipil (chilil [Tzotzil], huipil [Spanish]) made with acrylic yarn heddle brocade and white chicken feathers in a band near the bottom hem and in a square in the center of the garment. Purchased by Lou B. Casagrande from Xunca Tulan in Zinacantán, Chiapas, Mexico in March 1977.
A77:1:137 | A heavy stick with a rounded bottom made from lowland wood (Tzahal Te'). This stick was made to beat corn kernels off the cob after harvest, but was also used as a weaving batten. Purchased by Lou B. Casagrande from Manuel Tulan of Zinacantán, Chiapas, Mexico in March 1977.
A86:4:3 | A handwoven tunic made from gray wool with navy blue stripes, sewn together with red cotton embroidery thread and green acetate binding along the neckline. This tunic was woven between 1982-1983, and purchased by Lou B. Casagrande in 1986 from the Tulan family of Zinacantán while visiting the Sna Jolobil Weaver’s Cooperative in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.
A86:4:4 | A handwoven tortilla bag made with cotton ground clothes and decorated with colorful, naturally-dyed wool heddle brocade. This bag was woven by a member of the Tulan family of Zinacantán in 1985, and sold to Lou B. Casagrande in February 1986 at the Sna Jolobil Weaver’s Cooperative in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.
A89:1:14 | A woman’s blouse made from a single piece of off-white cotton cloth with a square cut neckline. The neckline and arm openings are decorated with stripes of multicolored satin stitch embroidery. This huipil was purchased by Lou B. Casagrande from Xunca Tulan (Juana Vásquez) in Zinacantán, Chiapas, Mexico in 1989.
A89:1:15 | A woman’s rectangular shawl woven from blue acrylic, bordered with a wide band of bright multicolored threads in the white thread stripes. Two tassels are attached and can be used to fasten the shawl onto the wearer. This shawl was purchased by Lou Casagrande from Xunca Tulan (Juana Vásquez) in Zinacantán, Chiapas, Mexico in 1989.
A89:1:16 | A man’s tunic made from two pieces of striped fabric sewn together to form the front and back with the seam running down the center. The sides of the tunic have bright tassels to tie the sides closed. The bottom has a multicolored geometric brocaded design, and fringe made from red and white threads. This tunic was purchased by Lou Casagrande from Xunca Tulan (Juana Vásquez) in Zinacantán, Chiapas, Mexico in 1989.
A89:1:17 | A woman’s wedding huipil made from three pieces of white cotton fabric which were hand woven on a backstrap loom and joined together with multicolored embroidery floss. The bottom of the huipil is covered with rows of white chicken feathers and multicolored wool brocade. In the center front of the huipil is a square of chicken feathers and wool. This huipil was purchased by Lou B. Casagrande from the weaver, Rosa Hernandez Vasquez (Losha Tulan) in Zinacantán, Chiapas, Mexico in 1989.
Image of the Tulan family creating a wedding huipil (A77:1:136). Taken by Jeffrey Foxx/Christiana Dittmann in Chiapas in 1978.
Image of the Tulan family creating a wedding huipil (A77:1:136). Taken by Jeffrey Foxx/Christiana Dittmann in Chiapas in 1978.
Image of a Tulan family member beating corn kernels off the cob after harvest using a large stick. Photograph taken by Jeffrey Foxx/Lou Casagrande in Chiapas in 1978.