Cream quechquemitl with flower motifs

1952

This quechqué mitl is made with cotton. There are decorations in the form of embroidery. An embroidery is a decorative technique in which extra threads are added to the fabric. \The background color is cream. The quechquémitl is decorated with floral motifs in shades of salmon and dark blue. \Now, this quechquémitl comes from Itzócal, a Nahua village in the municipality of Atlapexco, Hidalgo.\Huipiles and quechquémitl (there are no good equivalents for either garment in the Dutch language) are the traditional garments of choice for Indian women in Mexico. The huipil is an essentially simple rectangular, sleeveless garment that covers the shoulders and part of the arms and can fall to the hips lengthwise, but elsewhere reaches to the ankles. It expresses many aspects of social life. This also applies to the quechquémitl which is basically more of a shoulder garment. The different huipiles and quechquémitl differ from each other in form and applied weaving and decorative techniques, as well as the size and nature of the decorative patterns and motifs - these elements are often related to the distinct identity of the different ethnic groups. It is interesting to note that in the 20th century the distribution of both garments is virtually non-existent: when a group dresses in the huipil, the quechquémitl is missing and vice versa. In pre-Columbian times this was not the case and both garments existed side by side and in some cases were even worn on top of each other, as Mixtec codices show.