Jaspe is a process which is more commonly known as ikat. The most distinctive and sought after are warp jaspe rebozos. There are two important parts to a completed rebozo – the lienzo, which is the woven cloth made on a loom, and the punta or fringe which is the warp left unwoven at the beginning and end of each lienzo. The rebozo, a symbol of national identity that some claim should be the flag of Mexico comes in different styles, sizes, colors and fibers. But the real story of the rebozo and other textiles has everything to do with the richness of the weaving tradition in Mexico that was established thousands of years before the conquest or imported goods appeared. Like most Mexicans themselves, the rebozo is a fusion of cultures and styles. Thus was born the rebozo, a garment that blends the traditional tilma, lienzo, carrying cloths, with the Spanish mantilla, imported ikat and embroidered fabrics from Asia and the beautifully fringed shawls imported from the Philipines. Indian women, newly converted, were required to cover their heads upon entrance to the church. Women, at home, continued to weave on the otate loom, keeping alive their tradition.Īlong with the import of new looms and new weaving skills came a new religion, with edicts about dress codes to differentiate one racial group from another. Also they used smaller cloths that were folded and worn on top of the head.Īfter the Spanish conquest, men were conscripted into weaving workshops called obrajes and were introduced to the Colonial loom, on which most rebozos are still woven. The Indians were known to use fringeless cloths called lienzos or tilmas worn like a cloak, they provided cover, warmth and were used for carrying. The jaspe or ikat dyeing method was also in use before the conquistadors arrived in Peru and, most likely in Mexico, too. Mayan Goddess of Weaving on a back strap loom (These are called the telar de otate or the telar de cintura, and are a body tensioned loom.) Long before the Spaniards made their way to the Americas, the women in the native population were the primary weavers and worked on their traditional back strap or belt looms. The term rebozo comes from the verb rebozar which means to cover, or to cover ones face or mouth. Their importance is written into literature, music, poetry and history and popular culture. These shawls figure prominently in the lives of women, men and children, and are a part of every stage of life from birth, childhood, courtship, marriage, death and mourning. The rebozo is a garment that has evolved through Mexico’s long history. What is a rebozo? Women wearing rebozos, Yampolsky photo Don Evaristo’s artistry and knowledge of technique are deep, rooted in years of experience as a rebocero (a weaver of rebozos). Don Evaristo certainly is the equivalent of a “living treasure” though Mexico has no such official program. He has received many other awards and honors. In 2005 he was awarded the prestigious Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes award by then president Vicente Fox. The film that followed my talk featured Don Evaristo Borboa Casas, master weaver and outstanding proponent of the “telar de otate,” a traditional backstrap loom that is rapidly vanishing. Hillary: I am most interested in the passage of information and skill from one generation to the next and that is the context for much of my art work as well. More of Hillary’s work can be seen on her web site Hillary is involved with cultural preservation efforts with regard to Mexican rebozo weaving, the subject of her presentation here. and in our embassies abroad through the US State Departments “Art in Embassies Program”. Her work is also held by several public collections including that of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C. (2003), and Snyderman/Works Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 2000. Her work has been featured locally in solo exhibitions at Glenview Mansion Art Gallery, Rockville, Maryland (2011, 2002, 1999) and in numerous group exhibitions in such venues as the Blackrock Center for the Arts ( 2013), Artists’ Museum, Washington, D.C. Hillary Steel presented a Rug and Textile Appreciation Morning program on the Mexican Rebozo, a traditional Mexican shawl, woven in warp faced, resist-dye ikat, that is in danger of disappearing.
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