Huipil

Unknown artist

This huipil is woven in a hip loom with industrialized cotton. The figures are applied with a brocade of industrialized cotton and rayon. Brocade is a decorative technique where extra threads are added to the warp and weft during the weaving itself. Furthermore, around the neck opening four rosettes of taffeta are applied. The rosettes are located on the shoulders, back and neck, and together form a cross.A huipil is used exclusively by women to cover the upper part of the body (torso, shoulders). The background color of this huipil is brown. The decorations are applied in different colors, against a background in burgundy red. \In addition, this huipil contains a wide range of Mayan symbology. When the huipil is fully extended, the pattern becomes visible: Around the opening for the neck are rays as in sunbeams. The opening and the rays therefore represent the sun. Furthermore we see that the drawing forms a cross. The 4 rosettes on the 4 sides of the cross are sometimes interpreted as a representation of the 4 phases of the moon or the 4 cardinal points: north, east, south and west. Against the bordeaux red background there are diamond motifs representing heavenly bodies or raindrops. The diamond motifs form double headed eagles. The double-headed eagle has been an important symbol for the Quiché Maya throughout time. The meaning of this symbol is a fusion of two worlds, since both the Europeans and the Mayans knew this symbol, but with a different meaning. The motif became known in Europe mainly because it served as an imperial symbol for the Roman Empire. Afterwards it was adopted by the Habsburg Empire. Via the king of Spain at the time of the conquest, Charles V, the motif was transferred to the New World. For the Quiché Maya this symbol was in the past the god of double vision. One to look forward, the other to look backward. One for good and the other for evil. The symbol reflects the dualistic nature of the Mayan cosmovision. \The diamond motifs and the double-headed eagles form an orbit when the huipil is unfurled. The neck opening is in the center of this orbit. This arrangement is said to represent the annual path of the sun through the horizon. In farming communities in particular, the position of the sun plays an important role in the success of the harvests. \Furthermore, the huipil is decorated with zigzag motifs which may represent the feathered serpent, while the zigzag lines delimiting the cross probably represent the primordial sea. \Chichicastenango is a subdivision of the El Quiché department. It is a Quiché village located at 2,103m above sea level. It has a tropical climate. According to a 2007 population census, in that year there were 258,314 inhabitants (130,118 non Maya and 128,196 Maya). The Maya of the municipality of Chichicastenango speak the Eastern Quiche. That Maya language belongs to the Quiche-Achi subfamily of the Maya language familyChichicastenango is very well known for its market. It is not an industrial center, but it is a trading center. It is also, one of the most important markets in the highlands. Chichicastenango produces raw materials, particularly food products.‖ The name of Chichicastenango originally comes from a Nahuatl word, Tzitzicastli. It means "on the course of nettles or in the walled place by nettles".