Trique huipil - uncut
03.02.2025
Name/Title
Trique huipil - uncutEntry/Object ID
2024.02.011Description
This striking huipil is composed of three handwoven cotton lienzos (panels), each featuring four finished selvages—indicating a high level of technical skill. Woven on a backstrap loom, the panels are richly brocaded with commercial wool yarns in red, orange, pink, yellow, and green. The weaver executed horizontal bands of geometric and linear motifs across the entire garment surface, with the brocade carried across the weft and packed tightly to create a vibrant, textural surface. The back of the textile reveals dense wool floats, a signature of this time-intensive brocading method. The lienzos are joined with decorative, multi-strand embroidered seams in green and yellow, adding both reinforcement and ornamentation. At the center of the garment, a rectangular plain-weave area has been left unpatterned—deliberately planned by the weaver during the weaving process to serve as the location for the neckline. The sides of this unbrocaded area are tightly woven to strengthen the fabric where the circular opening will be cut. Once tailored, the neckline will be finished with satin ribbon appliqué in a triangular design, with ribbons left to trail down the back, a decorative feature often seen in festive or ceremonial huipiles. The edges and seams show some irregularities and wear, emphasizing the handwoven and utilitarian origins of this piece.Made/Created
Date made
circa 1971Ethnography
Cultural Region
* Untyped Cultural Region
Mixteca Baja, Oaxaca, MexicoCulture/Tribe
Trique/triqui people