Los huipiles de Guatemala

 

It is so early that one can still see the morning dew decorating the plants. Busy women with baskets and packages are arranging their stands at the local market. Customers will arrive soon. Most of the women wear long white dresses with colorful decorations called huipiles.

Huipiles are constructed of one to three brocaded lienzos woven on a backstrap or foot-treadle loom, or may be fabricated from commercial cloth that is embellished with embroidery or appliqué. When multiple panels are used, they are sewn together lengthwise, using a variety of joining techniques, often with a randa. The opening for the head is made either by leaving the panels un-sewn, creating a slit opening, in the case of the 2-panel garment, or by cutting a hole in a round, square, or V-shape form, in the case of 1 and 3 panel huipiles. Neck and arm openings can either be left unfinished, trimmed with appliqués, hand or machine embroidered, crocheted, or finished with a variety of decorative stitches. Sleeves are rare on huipiles, but appear on those of the regions of Sololá, Santiago Chimaltenango, and on some baby huipiles.

three women at a Guatemalan market wearing huipiles

Foto: Nick Leonard CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
smiling woman wearing huipil and traditional head piece

Foto: Lon and Queta CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
two older women against orange background wearing huipiles

Foto: Curt Carnemark / World Bank CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

In the larger context of indigenous culture, weaving represents a link with the ancient Maya civilization. The huipil (‘wee-peel’) is a lavish tunic or blouse-like garment that is frequently depicted on ancient Maya sculptures, figurines, and paintings. The huipil is by far the most ethnographically important and easily recognizable element of village-specific apparel. The word huipil is derived from Nahuatl (Aztec), although po’t is the most common word among most Mayan language groups in Guatemala today. Nim carries the association of large or special and by extension, Nim Po’t is generally understood to mean the ceremonial huipil.

The majority of huipiles are brocaded, whereby designs are created during the weaving process. Santiago Atitlán, Patzún, and San Andres Xecul are among the few villages that adorn their huipiles with hand embroidery, which is a surface decoration added with needle and thread. A distinction is usually made between a hand-woven, village-specific huipil, and a blusa that is made from commercial fabric.

The Chichicastenango huipil, easily recognized by the circular embroidered “sun collar” neck trim, is constructed of three backstrap woven panels decorated with heavy brocading that extends lower in the center panel. The oldest design still in use is that of a double-headed eagle composed of floating diamonds. Other popular motifs include polychromatic zigzags and floral designs. Rosettes are sometimes applied to the front and back.

 

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Spanish I: Copyright © by Lumen Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Cover photo by Patrick McDonald, “La Gitana” is licensed under CC-BY-NC. Available on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pat_mcdonald/8518195036/.

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