Cushion made from vintage Huipil, Guatemala

140,00 incl. VAT

These cushion is made from an old, handwoven huipil from Guatemala.

The huipil is a loose fitting tunic and most common traditional garment worn by the woman of the mayan societies in Guatemala. Each Mayan community has a specific, identifiable weaving pattern and color. Specially the huipiles indicated the geographic origins of the wearer. There is a strong affinity to motifs such as birds, corn, human figures, diamonds, triangles, plants and animals in every community.

To this day, the most traditional huipils are made with handwoven cloth on a back-strap loom. This truly age-old craft has been used in Guatemala for over two thousand years, pre-dating the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores, and remained relatively unchanged since ancient times until today. It is an easy, portable way to weave, using sticks and wearing a belt around the waist of the weaver. Even if it looks simple, you need a lot of knowledge and talent. And a lot of body control. The weaver controls the tension by the direction in which she moves her body. 

The created fabric is used for clothes and other household textiles, but specially to create the traditional dress of Mayan women, the huilpil. The traditional construction of huipils used two or three panels of fabric because the fabric is usually woven on a backstrap loom, which limits the width. 

The huipil from which the cushion is made was purchased at the markets in Antigua and Chichicastenango. 

100 % handwoven cotton

no front view cushion – both sides with the same textile

Size: 60 x 40 cm

All covers come with a corresponding goose down filling.

In stock

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