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National Museum of Mexican Art
(Museum Website)
1852 W. 19th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60608-2707
312.738.1503
Arte Textil Maya
Collections of the Centro de Textiles del
MUNDO MAYA
Susan Weinrebe
February 23, 2007
Entering the National Museum of Mexican Art is like taking a quick trip south of the border. Color ways, tiling, details, all exude a Mexican esthetic of design and visual richness. Set in the heart of the Hispanic Pilsen neighborhood and flanked by residences, a school, and park, the museum reflects pride of heritage as much as the plentiful murals throughout the area. It is a niche museum that puts a tight focus on the sort of exhibits either not shown elsewhere or that get swallowed up by larger collections in bigger museums.
A warning should be posted at this point. Wear your sunglasses when you visit Arte Textil Maya! The colors are blindingly intense and intensely beautiful. It is as though a tropical sun has been distilled, through the alchemy of weaving and embroidering, into threads of such brilliant hues that they cannot be diminished by sunlight.
Chiefly on display are scores of huipil, a traditional over-the-head blouse with tightly patterned needlework forming a cross in front and back and over the shoulders. Each intricate design is unique in its color choice and placement with depictions of geometric forms, flowers, and patterns, recognizable as valued motifs. As personal embellishment, they make the wearer a moveable work of art!
But these are not only personal triumphs of the crafters’ mastery over material and design. Embedded in the patterns are meanings as old and traditional as the Mayan people themselves. Waiting within the threads are meanings for those who can read the messages about culture, birth, life, and myth.
Included in the exhibit are paintings that reference the aesthetics of the weaving and colors. Arte Textil Maya is a not just beautiful on the surface, it is a display of the beauty and culture of a People.
Huipiles from Guatemala (details)
Collection Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.C.
Photo courtesy of Arturo González de Alba
Huipiles from Chiapas (details)
Chipas, Mexico
Collection Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.C.
Photo courtesy of Arturo González de Alba
Festival Huipil, (detail)
1970
Cotton and silkaline woven on a treadle (or foot) loom and embroidery
59 x 80 cm
Quiché. San Cristóbal Totonicapán, Totonicapan, Guatemala
Collection Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.C., QUI-2-9
Photo courtesy of Arturo González de Alba
Analí at Museum Counter
Photo courtesy of Susan Weinrebe
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