Zapotec fiesta huipil
Name/Title
Zapotec fiesta huipilEntry/Object ID
2022.02.010Description
This traditional huipil is composed of two white commercial cotton panels (lienzos) handwoven on a backstrap loom and joined at the center and sides with dense decorative blanket stitching. The textile maintains four complete selvages, indicating skilled and intentional loom use to minimize fraying. The shoulder area is reinforced with a decorative band of thicker cotton weft, enhancing both durability and ornamentation. Adorning the center of the huipil is a vertical appliqué of bright, multicolored rayon (sedalina) squares arranged in bands of pink, maroon, blue, red, green, and yellow. At the upper center, where the panels meet the neckline, braided sedalina strands form a bold yellow tassel that hangs down the front and back. The side seams are similarly decorated with the same striped rayon pattern. The hem edges are finished with a tight, colorful overstitch for added strength and visual interest, combining green, red, blue, and pink threads.Made/Created
Date made
circa 1971Ethnography
Cultural Region
* Untyped Cultural Region
Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, MexicoCulture/Tribe
Zapotec