Curated Chiapas Set
Huipils from Villages in Chiapas in the 1970s / Huipiles de pueblos de Chiapas en los años 1970
Huipils, women’s tunic-style shirts, are important items of clothing and cultural identifiers for Maya people in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, since pre-Columbian times, long before colonization. While maintaining a profound and overarching Maya culture, individual Maya villages in Chiapas have their own unique identities, which can be seen in the language, customs, and style of clothing of the people living there. Maya artists from different villages in Chiapas, Mexico, wove the huipils in this selection during the mid-20th century. Our selection demonstrates some of the visual differences and similarities in styles of the villages at the time they were woven.
A77:1:5 | This is a women’s ceremonial huipil (Jalbil K'u'il [Tzotzil]) made by Rosa Hernandez Diaz in San Andrés Larráinzar, Chiapas, Mexico. This huipil is made with white cotton fabric and is brocaded predominantly in red and black, with some details brocaded in yellow and green. Purchased by Lou B. Casagrande and William “Chip” Morris from the artist in 1977.
A77:1:9 | This women’s huipil (Jalant'e [Tzotzil]; Jalbil K'u'il [Tzeltal]) was made by Maria Lopez Gomez in Pantelhó, Chiapas, Mexico. The designs brocaded on this piece include sapo (toad), mano (hand), florecita (little flower), gusano (worm), mariposa (butterfly), and nok balom (tiger’s paw). Purchased by Lou B. Casagrande from the artist in 1977.
A77:1:19 | This women’s huipil (Jalbil K’u’il [Tzotzil]) was made by an artist in Zinacantán, Chiapas, Mexico. It is made of white cotton fabric with two colorful cross-stitching bands running vertically on each side of the huipil. It was purchased by Lou B. Casagrande and William “Chip” Morris from Shunka Vasquez in 1977.
A77:1:46 | This is a women’s huipil (Jalbil K'u'il [Tzeltal]) made by an artist in Tenejapa, Chiapas, Mexico. Brocaded with deep red and multicolored thread with symbols including the ch'ix (spines), yaxal na' (blue thread), nekel (neck), nichmal banderex (flowery flag), bechan (snake path), ch'ixal (spiny), and curly designs. Purchased by Lou B. Casagrande from Antonia Lopez Santis in 1977.
A77:1:80 | This women’s huipil (Jalbil K'u'il [Tzotzil]) was made by an artist in El Bosque, Chiapas, Mexico. It was made with pink and red striped fabric and has colorful, cross-stitched geometric designs all around the neck and sleeves. Purchased by Lou B. Casagrande from Sebastiana Gómez Alvarez in 1977.
A77:1:82 | This warp-dominant, plain weave women’s huipil (Jalbil K'u'il [Tzeltal]) was made by an artist in Oxchuc, Chiapas, Mexico. The front is embroidered with multicolored acrylic thread, while the back of the piece is brocaded. Purchased by Lou B. Casagrande from a family in 1977.
A77:1:145 | This women’s huipil (Jalbil K'u'il [Tzotzil]) was made by an artist in Chalchihuitán, Chiapas, Mexico. Made using commercial cotton with acrylic multicolored brocade, this huipil is decorated with a dog’s paw design on the front and star design on the bottom hem. Purchased by Lou B. Casagrande from Lune Peres Santis in 1977.
A77:1:151 | This huipil (Chilil [Tzotzil]) was made by an artist in Chamula, Chiapas, Mexico. Chamula, located in one of the coldest areas in the Chiapas highlands, is known for their warm, black sheep’s wool huipils such as this one. At the center of the chest, multicolored yarn is used to form a knot, from which the ends of the yarn hang like tassels on the exterior of the garment. Purchased by Lou B. Casagrande in 1977.
A77:1:155 | This white cotton huipil (Chilil [Tzeltal]) was made by an artist in San Juan Cancuc, Chiapas, Mexico. It is decorated with heddle brocade and close chain stitches in multicolored acrylic thread. Purchased by Lou B. Casagrande in 1977.
A79:1:18 | This women’s huipil (Jalbil K’u’il [Tzotzil]) was woven by a Tzotzil Maya woman named Abrila in Magdalenas, Chiapas, Mexico. Made with handspun cotton fabric, it is brocaded with multicolored handspun and commercial wool in many intricate designs including ech’ (bromeliad, a sacred flower in Magdalenas), xpokok (toad), k’anal (stars), kupom te’ (leaning tree), and be chon (path of snakes), among many others. This huipil was woven in 1955 and was purchased by Walter “Chip” Morris sometime between 1973-1978, and was purchased by the Science Museum of Minnesota from Morris in 1979.
A77:1:202 | This huipil (Chilil [Tzeltzl]) was hand-woven by an artist in Amatenango del Valle, Chiapas, Mexico. It features red and yellow bands of embroidery around the neck. It was purchased by Lou B. Casagrande from Petrona Lopez in 1977.