Serape

• Object: Serape
• Artist: -
• Circa: Early 1800s
• Dimensions: 48" x 93"
• Culture Area: Mesoamerica / Mexico
• Cultural Group: Mexico / Saltillo
• Cultural Context: The Saltillo sarape, a distinctive piece of wearing apparel, has deep roots in North America as well as a unique blend of Spanish elements. In style, design, texture, and color it relates to the pre-Columbian inhabitants of Mesoamerica. As a textile art form the Saltillo sarape was developed and utilized by the inhabitants of Northern and Western Mexico in the late 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, with a decline in the early 20th century. These sarapes known by the generic term "Saltillo," were named such after the most famous of Northern Mexico's weaving towns, Saltillo, in the present State of Coahuila. As a garment it had a multiplicity of uses in the everyday and special occasions for the society that utilized it. Throughout its development the Saltillo sarape became a useful and prized possession as well as a sought-after collector's item. The garment had many uses in all segments of Mexican society. First, Native American cotton, then later, after the Spanish conquest, wool was woven into a variety of clothing. Styles, shapes and designs were more or less traditional, utilizing patterns hundreds of years old. The woven garments reflected the ingenuity of aboriginal inhabitants as well as the society that conquered them. The subsequent result was a fascinating merging of cultures, arts, crafts, and particularly weaving techniques. There was an artistic and aesthetic evolution particularly in evidence in Northern Mexico and Southwest United States. While the exact evolution of the sarape is far from explicit, the pattern of development of the sarape called Saltillo is somewhat clearer. In its classic form, the Saltillo sarape manifests certain design elements which help to explain its history. The skillful use of colored yarns to achieve a mosaic effect may be singled out as the most obvious feature of these wearing blankets. Saltillos usually had three principal design fields: the outermost zone was a frame or border enclosing the second zone, a background field of different, and often simpler design. A large central lozenge or circular medallion formed the third zone. While there were countless variations on these design themes, these three elements are recognizable in all sarapes called Saltillos. Occasionally, the sarape had a neck-slit (bocamanga) permitting it to be worn as a poncho. The central design then formed a colorful yoke around the wearer's shoulders. Each principal design zone was made up of a myriad of smaller motifs, such as triangles, hourglasses, lozenges, ovals, and rhomboids which were used in various combinations to achieve multi-hued patterns that often seem to vibrate because of the sharp angles of the designs and the sudden shifts in color. Brilliance of color and the frequent use of stripes in Saltillos undoubtedly prompted the native Nahuatl name for these sarapes: acocema-lotíc-tilmatli, "rainbow mantle." The Treaty of Guadalupe which marked the end of the Mexican War in 1848 also marked the end of the classic Saltillo era. It seems probable that the time-consuming artistry of the great Saltillo weaving was unable to survive the coming years of political and social unrest. This Saltillo was purchased in Mexico City in 1912 by Mr. & Mrs. De Golyer and generously donated to the museum by their daughter, Ms. Jeanne Chase.
• Donor: Chase, Jeanne
• Catalog #: 89.005