I met Martha Julia Mendez on a art expo on Guadalajara, she was presenting her master piece huipil , it was amazing! I asked her about it and with a smile she show me every detail of the huipil, it toke her one year to created it, this huipil is very special, she participated on her first art expo with this huipil and she won on the category of textiles.
This Huipil is know to be a ceremonial piece, is a symbol of identity, the virgin of muffins and the wife of the mayodormo wear it during the festivities during the processions.
women weave different huipiles, both for daily use and for the party. the most spectacular is the ceremonial huipil and is woven by a few women
the base material for the garments is white cotton. the designs can be made of wool. traditionally acrilan or mercerized cotton yarn recently. natural dyes for wool.
Tools: Devanador - is an instrument to transform skeins or cones into balls of thread. warping - pre-Hispanic wooden instrument in the shape of a T, with which the length and width of the warp is determined. waist loom - prehispanic instrument consisting of seven sticks that support the warp; one side is tied to a tree or pole, and the other to the waist of the weaver.
The technique used in the waist loom is the smooth or balanced fabric, which contains sections with brocade to configure the designs. the brocade is done by counting the warp threads and introducing extra wefts of colored wool or cotton between the base weft, with this the row design is formed by row.
The ceremonial huipil is a symbol of identity. the virgin of muffins and the wife of the mayordomo wear it during the festivities during the processions.
Commercial dynamics: In the decade of 1970, the fabrics for the tourist market of San Cristobal de las Casas emerged, as a result of a great demand for the ceremonial huipil. In recent years mercerized cotton has been introduced for designs, which has transformed the color.
Environment: The use of plants and bark for the wool has no inventories or management plans.
Awards: Magdalenas weavers have received several awards in state and national contests, particularly those that present versions of the ceremonial huipil.
Status: The tradition of weaving and festivals are still relevant, despite the propagation of evangelical sects.
Additional Information: The municipality and head of aldama is known in the highlands as mudalenas or tanjobel in tzotzil. is intimately linked to neighboring communities such as Santa Marta, Santiago and San Andres Larrainzar, due to the exchanges and views that are made during their respective festivities.