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Maya Threads: A Woven History of Chiapas
Through the pages of this incredibly-researched history and photo gallery, the world of the Maya lives on through the lens of its culture and costume, still seen today in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico. In a region battered by centuries of invasions, subjugations, civil wars, and severe economic hardship, the Maya continue to celebrate and sustain their heritage in extraordinary traditional dress and festivals that are both riotous and sacred. Their ever-evolving, colorful, beautifully-handcrafted dress features exquisite gauze fabrics that trace their origins from the 9th century AD to a present-day lowland village; festival wear that blends Roman Catholicism and paganism, reverence and mockery; gloriously brocaded and embroidered wardrobes that tie communities together; and embroidery techniques that reflect displacements and migrations—in other words, fabrics that trace the history and evolution of a people. Two Maya experts and a photographer painstakingly record the remnants of influence from the Aztecs, Spanish conquistadors, Catholic missionaries, and the unseen gods and spirits that guide Maya culture today.
214 pages, Paperback
Published February 15, 2015
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July 17, 2022
This is a fascinating book about how the Maya cultures of Chiapas are living and changing.
The author once believed - as even some Maya weavers would say - that the textiles had been done the same way since time immemorial. However, the story is more complex and more fascinating.
Based on murals and preserved images, some motifs - such as the diamond universe, the toad, and the dog's paw - really have been handed down among various communities since the Classic period. But other designs show a far more dynamic and modern history.
There are cases where new textile techniques can be traced as spreading through dozens of communities by migrants in modern times. Apparently after a war in 1888, the Mexican and Guatemalan sides of the border both changed their textile techniques. In fact, the border itself now drives a cross-border trade especially in Zinacantec textiles.
It's also been the case that certain patterns, or methods of cross-stitching, brocade, embroidery are forgotten by particular communities. In these cases, they sometimes needed to travel to other communities near and far to re-learn techniques.
There are features that are apparently colonial in origin, especially the "Aztec knot" and the "Aztec square", both introduced by colonial Nahua garrisons. There are also features introduced by other cultures, such as West Africans and Eastern Europeans.
One of the most fascinating items was the author showing how one community changed their style slightly every few years over the course of decades, as different colors and materials became available.
Throughout this, the author focuses on the dynamic history of these Maya communities and how the changes to their weaving patterns offers insight into their internal histories as well as their relationships to neighbors, outsiders, and nearby cultures. This is far more fascinating than the myth of stagnant continuity!
The author once believed - as even some Maya weavers would say - that the textiles had been done the same way since time immemorial. However, the story is more complex and more fascinating.
Based on murals and preserved images, some motifs - such as the diamond universe, the toad, and the dog's paw - really have been handed down among various communities since the Classic period. But other designs show a far more dynamic and modern history.
There are cases where new textile techniques can be traced as spreading through dozens of communities by migrants in modern times. Apparently after a war in 1888, the Mexican and Guatemalan sides of the border both changed their textile techniques. In fact, the border itself now drives a cross-border trade especially in Zinacantec textiles.
It's also been the case that certain patterns, or methods of cross-stitching, brocade, embroidery are forgotten by particular communities. In these cases, they sometimes needed to travel to other communities near and far to re-learn techniques.
There are features that are apparently colonial in origin, especially the "Aztec knot" and the "Aztec square", both introduced by colonial Nahua garrisons. There are also features introduced by other cultures, such as West Africans and Eastern Europeans.
One of the most fascinating items was the author showing how one community changed their style slightly every few years over the course of decades, as different colors and materials became available.
Throughout this, the author focuses on the dynamic history of these Maya communities and how the changes to their weaving patterns offers insight into their internal histories as well as their relationships to neighbors, outsiders, and nearby cultures. This is far more fascinating than the myth of stagnant continuity!
Displaying 1 of 1 review