- Henry Ward Beecher
Sometimes after attending an exhibition I am left with a handful of questions. The huipil (wipil) exhibition at the anthropology museum in Mérida has made me more curious about the tradition. The huipil is a very common sight throughout the Yucatan. It is basically a fancy tunic, always decorated about the neckline, often across the bodice, and occassionaly at the hemline. Take an evening stroll in the Plaza Grande and there will be reserved seating to watch traditional Yucateco dancing. The woman in these dance troops are wearing beautifully embroidered huipils. 
Several regions of the Yucatán were represented at the exhibition, and from each there was an obvious embroidering style, with Valladolid having the most varied. Unfortunately, the Valladolid huipils the artists were listed as unknown. I learned that the decorative styles indicate not just the community that a woman belongs to but also her status. I suppose my own huipil screams tourist community.
When I was attending graduate school in the Bay Area I worked for an agency that acquired some very large and beautiful heddle looms. Our facility was small and unable to house them all so, I acquired one of the larger looms and called it the Shipwreck as it looked like a Chinese junk. The older huipils were woven on a backstrap loom, with the decorative portions being done on the loom or by hand, sometimes with the aid of a sewing machine. When I first moved to Merida, I bought a unfinished piece that was still connected to a backstrap.
I think I will be taking a trip to Valladolid in the near future. I love the individual expression in their huipils!
Create the life you want!
The Broad
