A Way Of Expression Through Black Dresses

The messages communicated by traditional Indian black dresses are or were part of a legacy that fewer people remain in their communities: those loyal to the "usual" old as the elderly or the brothers who follow the wisdom of their ancestors .

Bird�s eye

A look at "bird�s eye" to the history of Indian clothing can be quite amazing. The Indian dress has a long evolution. Starts about 200 years before Christ, and we know because we see in places some monuments that remain to this day, people dressed in clothes and loincloth, layers of different styles, black dresses rolled, etc, many of them made from woven cotton and on the back strap loom. Others were fashioned with jaguar or deer skin and adorned with feathers, jade beads, symbols of the elite or military hierarchy, and so on.

Evolution

Since 1524, the Spanish brought us new clothes, materials such as wool and silk, new fabrics and technical innovations, i.e. new instruments such as the foot loom, carding and spinning wheel, etc. The Indians learned to wear clothes cut and new techniques such as embroidery, weaving up, crochet stitches and done with two needles. The Spanish brought the concept of patterns to make clothes, new designs, plus scissors, metal needles for sewing, embroidery and weaving, embroidery racks, etc.
The combination of pre-Columbian textile tradition with Spanish lead to new styles! Throughout the five centuries black dresses continued to evolve under the influence of modernity, until our days. The varied geography of the highlands of Guatemala until 1975 was a scenario that explains the relative isolation of more than 150 communities (cities and villages), who developed specific textile traditions and created their costumes that set them apart from each other.

With a length of about 3000 years, the Mayan civilization was confined to the territory of south-eastern Mexico, today Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, mainly. Similar to other neighboring indigenous civilizations, the Maya dress responded to a division of social status or caste projecting from each of its members. Because a large majority was dedicated to the work of the land, the costumes were simple and functional in nature: the women wore a skirt called Huipil wearing a robe in the torso.

Differences

Also, it is worth mentioning some differences according to geographical location. The Guatemalan Maya wore long skirts and blouses with brightly black dresses embroidery. For hot climates, the dresses were lighter, loose, and up to the knee. Similarly, the people of Guatemala were distinguished with beautiful embroidered ponchos.