The Ancient Art of Mayan Textiles: Part 1
It is safe to say that the main love of Casa Flor is handwoven textiles, especially in Guatemala. The intricate designs and complicated techniques leave us speechless and the more we learn about the history behind them, the more we fall in love.
As we started to do research on the history of Mayan textiles, we were overwhelmed by the amount of information and cultural significance of Maya textiles and on the flip-side the amount of mis-information that we see other brands using to sell vintage textiles. We wanted to share some of the knowledge we’ve learned through research and working with Guatemalan artisans who’s priority is to keep these techniques alive through their work. (The is part 1 of a series)
Origins:
“The ancient Maya were one of the most highly developed peoples of precolonial America, boasting a sophisticated calendar, astronomic observatories, and construction skills.” (source) Archives show that Mayan textiles and traditional clothing originated with these early civilizations and have adapted and changed throughout the centuries but has maintained the original essence and complexity throughout time. As found in every other civilizations around the world, the art of textiles depends on the ecosystem surrounding them, depending on two key elements: plants= dyes and animals=fibers. Mayan textiles originated throughout the Mesoamerican region (known today as: Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and northern Costa Rica). They created looms to produce textiles for clothing and other essential day to day items. Weaving was a skill that was taught from generation to generation and was used in every community across the Mayan Region.
Ancient Techniques
The production of textiles depended on the resources available to source fibers and dyes. Mesoamerica is known to have a very diverse ecosystem allowing people to develop a wide array of techniques to obtain threads from plants, as well as dyes from flowers, leaves and animals. In the Mayan tradition, every natural color has a meaning (more on this later!).
In order to create the threads and weave the cloth, they developed different tools, each one with a specific purpose: from prepping the cotton, to winding the threads and transforming the threads into woven fabric.
The Mayan loom commonly known as ‘backstrap loom’ is characterized for its versatility and for being easy to transport, move and store. A backstrap loom is tied to a stable structure (wall, tree etc) and a strap is attached around the weavers back. The width of the weaving is dependent of the size and height of weaver and the movement and tension the weaver creates helps to pass the weft threads to create the woven cloth. After the fabric was woven on the backstop loom, it was used to make clothing for everyday life and special ceremonies as well as textiles for everyday life.
Spanish Influence
In Pre-colonial times, the process of weaving on a backstrap loom was practiced by both men and women. But with the Spanish invasion it became an activity reserved for women, because the Spanish did not approve it as a masculine activity. Spanish colonization also brought the footloom, which had become a popular weaving technique throughout Europe, but originated in Egypt in 4400 BCE. Although it was a trade specifically for men, today it is very common to see men and women weaving on a footloom.
This is just a little glimpse of the extensive history of Mayan textiles. They are a living inheritance from the Mayan Civilization, and one of our main principles in Casa Flor is to honor and dignify the people who keep this tradition alive, the weavers. In our next part of the series we’ll cover: Symbols, Patterns, Colors, Threads and Dyes.
Resources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/textile/The-weaving-process
https://www.britannica.com/place/Guatemala/Sports-and-recreation
http://mcd.gob.gt/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Indumentaria-Maya-Milenaria.pdf