page_title: Handcrafts and folk art in Chiapas
section_title: Textiles
hierarchical_section_title: Handcrafts and folk art in Chiapas / Textiles
caption_attribution_description: English: Blouse from Bochil, Chiapas on display at Casa Na Bolom in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
context_page_description: Chiapas handcrafts and folk art is most represented with the making of pottery, textiles and amber products, though other crafts such as those working with wood, leather and stone are also important. The state is one of Mexico's main handcraft producers, with most artisans being indigenous women, who dominate the production of pottery and textiles. The making of handcrafts has become economically and socially important in the state, especially since the 1980s, with the rise of the tourist market and artisans’ cooperatives and other organizations. These items generally cannot compete with commercially made goods, but rather are sold for their cultural value, primarily in San Cristóbal de las Casas.
context_section_description: From childhood, most indigenous girls learn to weave and embroider cloth. This can also include even the preparation of the fiber (carding, dying, etc.). Most of the textiles produced are for local use, starting with simpler designs for everyday wear, then moving onto more complicated and decorated garb as they get older and more experienced.
  Many textile products are still made completely with traditional methods, from materials such as wool, cotton thread and natural dyes. This include most handwoven cloth, which is made on backstrap looms. These products are made by women artisans in their own homes in conjunction with other domestic duties, but sometimes these women work in collaboration with others. Much of the embroidery designs are traditional as well, containing old symbolic images from a syncretism of Mayan and Christian worldviews. This is particularly true of the needlework of the Tzotzils of Larráinzar, Chenalhó, Chamula, Zinacantan, Pantelhó and Tenejapa, where designs can indicate where the wearer comes from. The quality of these pieces varies, with the best of these winning national awards and prized by international collectors.
  Textile designs in Chiapas are very similar to those of Guatemala, as they come from the same origin. Most of the designs are in strong colors such as red, yellow, turquoise blue, white, purple, pink and deep green but some pastels are also combined with these. Motifs include flowers, butterflies and rainforest birds. The growth of handcraft production has meant diversification in designs and products, especially in textiles, both in weaving and embroidery. Synthetic fibers are making their way into pieces, either used to make the cloth or added as embroidery.  Embroidery designs can come from more common inspiration. For example, many of the textiles of Aguacatenango have four-petaled flowers mimicking those on the facade of the San Agustin Church, which dates from the 17th century.
  Both traditional and non-traditional clothing is made in the state.  The basic traditional garment for women is the huipil, and each indigenous community has its own style, particularly in Tenejapan, Zinacantan, Ocosingo, Larrainzar, Venustiano Carranza. Another traditional dress is called the Chiapaneca, which shows clear Spanish influence. It is usually made of light, transparent cloth in dark colors (usually tulle) and heavily embroidered with large bright colored flowers. In addition, mestizo women sew traditional and non-traditional clothing items for the tourist market, contracting indigenous women to do the embroidery. These garments and other items with traditional embroidery can be found in markets such as those in San Cristóbal de las Casas (Plaza Santo Domingo), San Juan Chamula and Zinacatán.
  Communities particularly noted for their embroidered textiles include Magdalenas, Larráinzar, Venustiano Carranza and Sibaca. Zinacatán is known for its production of handcrafts, with the making of brightly embroidered garments a main economic activity. The traditional garb for men includes a serape woven in dark colors such as blue, green or purple with floral accents. For women, it includes blouses and skirts in the same tones as well as rebozos (or chals) embroidered with flowers. Textiles of wool and cotton woven on backstrap looms are made in San Juan Chamula, San Andres Larrainzar, Tuxtla Gutierrez, San Pedro Chenalho, Bochil and Teopisca. Traditional outfits for men and women are sewn in Pantelho, Oxchuc and Huixtan.
  Commercialization of textiles happens in one of three ways: the artisan sells their wares directly to the consumer; s/he sells to a mestizo middleman or the artisans do piecework, with the materials and designs provided by the contractor/middleman. The last option is most likely to employ commercially made fabric and thread. Much of the textile production that is sold to the tourist/collector market is made in the valleys of San Cristobal, Teopisca-Amatenango del Valle and part of the Valley of Villa las Roas. Tzeltal and mestizo women here have organized in the making and selling o
caption: Embroidered blouse from Bochil, Chiapas on display at Casa Na Bolom in San Cristobal de las Casas
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