Origin and Making Indigenous Traditional Costume

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ORIGIN AND MAKING OF INDIGENOUS TRADITIONAL COSTUME

Textile fibers

For their clothes, the townspeople used in pre-Hispanic times, the ixtle (maguey or agave thread), wild palm fibers (izcotl) and cotton.

After the conquest they continued using agave fiber among the Maya of Yucatan, the Huasteca, Nahua, some Zapotec peoples and especially the Otomi who seem to have a monopoly of this fiber fabrics were the main purpose of their exchanges with the Chichimecas.

For decades the ixtle is almost exclusively used for weaving bags and ayates. Cotton has continued to be used everywhere and in two varieties: one white and one brown called coyuche.

The Spanish introduced wool. In cold regions of Earth, many families have sheep, from which they obtain the necessary for making blankets and skirts material. Home or commercial wool is used to quechquémeles, bags, belts, belts, shawls, some huipiles and embroidery. The conquerors also introduced the silkworm breeding. Silk is used mainly for weaving damasks, satins, velvets and shawls. It notes that currently the indigenous communities use their artificial silk embroidery, and are beginning to make huipiles and quechquémeles with rayon.

The spindle

This consists of two parts: a wooden stick about 30 centimeters over a hemispherical tip and piece of clay, wood or bone, which is threaded with the round side down. This counterweight, winch is sometimes decorated with geometric designs. The large number of identical spindles current, found in archaeological sites, give an idea of ​​the spread and importance of the art of spinning was in prehispanic Mexico, mostly pre-Hispanic trade.

Women hold the spindle between the warm and the ring on the right hand and rotated with the thumb and forefinger. The most delicate and difficult part of the job is to get the first few centimeters of thread, which develop at the upper end of the spindle. The yarn is growing rapidly and racking stick around. The spinners carry out their other chores to constantly move the spindle with the toes, as they are always barefoot.

The loom

The Indian loom commonly called "loom waist" consists only of a few loose pieces of wood with different functions. For a long skein of need, she wraps the material around two stakes planted in the ground; She has to cross the wires roughly up to two thirds of total length. Tie the ends of the skein to two sticks. With a rope holding the stick a pitchfork above the hut. Tie the other with a strap to his own waist, like a tile while sitting on the floor, keep the wire taut with the weight of her body.

Carefully sorts the warp threads interwoven in two superimposed layers, very delicate operation that depends uniformity of the fabric. Put between the lower beam and crossing threads clapboard wood thin and sharp, back, tightening the threads of the plot when the weaver pulls hard against her, and also separates the warp threads when the It becomes vertical. The separation is essential, since the coil is a stick on which the yarn is wound. To maintain a constant width, using a tablet; as the web grows, the wound on the lower pole.

Fabrics

Fabrics leaving the indigenous loom have a limitation: the width. The weaver, with weaving belt tied at the waist, can not reach with herr arms very broadly. The most convenient to weave width is about 60 centimeters; the technique has no limitation.

Drawings colors and dyes

The drawings, embroidered or woven into fabric, vary regionally and have particular characteristics in the different indigenous groups. Sometimes they preserve ancient figures. The main colors of the fabrics are: yellow, blue, red, purple, orange and black. Women are comfortable using traditional dyes instead artificial colors. Some dyes of yesteryear are still using it in parts: indigo, purple snail and cochineal, in some villages still annatto seeds are used.