¡We have an invitation to Sunday dinner! But first let me back up to yesterday's excitement!
Chiqui and I have spent quite a bit of time talking about the traditional Maya clothing, which is totally fascinating to me. A woman can spend months creating one article of clothing. Of course they are works of art and if they're sold, they can sell for hundreds of dollars. So yesterday Chiqui showed up for my class carrying a garbage bag. "A surprise!" she said when I asked her what was in the bag! She had borrowed from her mother an entire outfit of her traditional clothing to not just show me, but to allow me to try on! Yes, we took photos! Chiqui and Gene's teacher, Saira, both helped to wrap me in the traditional "corte," or skirt, which is actually a long (maybe 5 meters) piece of cloth. The cortes are woven on a foot loom. They have no buttons, zippers or velcro, and are held up by a beautiful woven sash, which I think also has a special name, but I don't remember it. The sash is also very long and is wrapped tightly (!) many times around the waist. It is this tightly wrapped belt which Chiqui says is too uncomfortable. Although her mother wears traditional dress, Chiqui prefers her jeans and t-shirts. Next I was adorned with the ultimate piece of Maya dress, the Güipil. This loose fitting blouse, woven on a back-strap loom, is the part of the costume which indicates what area, or village, the woman is from. The designs are incredibly intricate. They are actually made in 2 pieces and sewn together. This is the part of the costume which can cost several hundreds of dollars, depending on its detail. I was nervous just pulling it over my head! The grand finale was the addition of the headdress, which in this case was a square piece of cloth which was folded up to a size that I could carry on my head. It seems to me that its purpose is to cushion the head when carrying large loads on the head, as is frequently done, but the purpose was not really explained to me. The women also weave shawls and "tzutes," used to carry babies, food or other loads.
Dressing up as a Maya woman was an awesome experience. I cannot imagine how so many women can have the talent to create these works of art. I can't envision working on a blouse for 3 months. I watch these women walking down the street in their beautiful outfits and I am in awe of them. I wish I could take pictures of some of these beautiful women, but this is not possible without permission, so for now you'll have to settle for this picture of me in Chiqui's mom's clothes!
Oh! So the Sunday dinner! I got so excited telling you about the dress up day that I almost forgot. Chiqui's mom has invited us to their home for Sunday dinner! Obviously you'll hear more about that later!
So far now, back to the books!
Chiqui and I have spent quite a bit of time talking about the traditional Maya clothing, which is totally fascinating to me. A woman can spend months creating one article of clothing. Of course they are works of art and if they're sold, they can sell for hundreds of dollars. So yesterday Chiqui showed up for my class carrying a garbage bag. "A surprise!" she said when I asked her what was in the bag! She had borrowed from her mother an entire outfit of her traditional clothing to not just show me, but to allow me to try on! Yes, we took photos! Chiqui and Gene's teacher, Saira, both helped to wrap me in the traditional "corte," or skirt, which is actually a long (maybe 5 meters) piece of cloth. The cortes are woven on a foot loom. They have no buttons, zippers or velcro, and are held up by a beautiful woven sash, which I think also has a special name, but I don't remember it. The sash is also very long and is wrapped tightly (!) many times around the waist. It is this tightly wrapped belt which Chiqui says is too uncomfortable. Although her mother wears traditional dress, Chiqui prefers her jeans and t-shirts. Next I was adorned with the ultimate piece of Maya dress, the Güipil. This loose fitting blouse, woven on a back-strap loom, is the part of the costume which indicates what area, or village, the woman is from. The designs are incredibly intricate. They are actually made in 2 pieces and sewn together. This is the part of the costume which can cost several hundreds of dollars, depending on its detail. I was nervous just pulling it over my head! The grand finale was the addition of the headdress, which in this case was a square piece of cloth which was folded up to a size that I could carry on my head. It seems to me that its purpose is to cushion the head when carrying large loads on the head, as is frequently done, but the purpose was not really explained to me. The women also weave shawls and "tzutes," used to carry babies, food or other loads.
Dressing up as a Maya woman was an awesome experience. I cannot imagine how so many women can have the talent to create these works of art. I can't envision working on a blouse for 3 months. I watch these women walking down the street in their beautiful outfits and I am in awe of them. I wish I could take pictures of some of these beautiful women, but this is not possible without permission, so for now you'll have to settle for this picture of me in Chiqui's mom's clothes!
Oh! So the Sunday dinner! I got so excited telling you about the dress up day that I almost forgot. Chiqui's mom has invited us to their home for Sunday dinner! Obviously you'll hear more about that later!
So far now, back to the books!
1 Comment:
Fantastic! You'd make a great Mayan lady. Glad you're having so much fun and such and interesting time. Love your other posts, too.
Post a Comment