Rebozo Maya de algodón y seda. San Antonio Palopó. Sololá. Etnia Kaqchikel.

Piece made in the mid-twentieth century, with the balanced weaving technique, on a horizontal pedal loom. The warp is made of cotton yarn dyed with cochineal carmine and various wefts among which we can see cross-sectional lanes of guards obtained by ikat, that is, by tied fabric before subjecting it to the dye bath, and lists of silk wefts of different titles (thicknesses).

Measures. Length: 204 cm / 80.31 in. Fringes: 10 cm / 3.93 in. Width: 88 cm / 34.64 in.

The wefts of the moored guard streets show the traditional technique of Mayan weaving of this species: they are woven with a surplus at each end and once woven, these threads are twisted into a bundle and "stored" in a single shed of the loom. .

San Antonio Palopó is one of the eleven cities settled on the shores of Lake Atitlan, thus named in honor of San Antonio de Padua. The term Palopó belongs to the Kaqchikel language and refers to the amate tree. It is one of the few textile centers that uses horizontal looms derived from those brought by Europeans, in this case the Franciscan friars, who exercised the guardianship of this small town because its territory was formerly within the limits of the San Francisco Panajachel convent. , when formerly the entire region was part of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. (1)

Given the complexity of the preparation of these fabrics, it is common to find on Sundays -in the atrium of the church of Santo Tomás de Chichicastenango- the weavers with their prepared rolls of yarn, before starting the weaving, so that they are blessed and can make the beautiful pieces that ensure their livelihood.

Note:

1. Jesús García Añoveros. Proceedings of the III International Congress on Franciscans in the New World (18th century). Madrid, Ed. International University of Andalusia, 1989, p. 891.