Cloth (servilleta)

Unknown artist

This servilleta was collected in 1958 by Irmgard Johnson. Servilletas are used for different purposes. To cover food, wrap tortillas or to put in a basket. It can also be used to wrap food for travel. You could almost say that a servilleta is part of a woman's costume, when not in use it is carefully folded and carried around. The servilleta is woven in linen weave and made of hand-spun, white cotton. The decoration is done by using thicker, double cotton weft threads, creating a pattern of stripes. With additional coloured weft threads, seven stripes with multicoloured decorations are woven in: two rows of bird figures, alternated with geometrical motifs. With the exception of hand-spun cotton dyed with 'caracol', factory yarns are used for the brocade.