Traditional hand embroidered Mexican clothing from Oaxaca

The state of Oaxaca
What aspects of the embroidery of each ethnic group stand out?

 

Chinantec’s

They specialize in weaving huipils using the back strap loom. These unique pieces represent the origin of life, life itself, and death. In the center of a huipil, a rhombus is embroidered, which they call "uo"; the "uo" represents the center of the body, the place where the spirit lives. They call 'old' the pieces made in the three traditional colours: red, white, and black. Those that are made with a variety of tones and designs and are decorated with ribbons and lace are known as 'gala' garments.

Mazatec’s

They make cotton garments with light blue, green or black embroidery. They usually embroider figures of birds, rabbits, flowers and trees in feathered stitch, darning and relief.

Its embroidery consists of threads and needles on the fabric. Be it a blanket, ribbons, satin or lace.

Mixes

hey are known for their girdles, huipils and shawls. These are brocades of red, green and blue colours. They are also stand out because of their flower embroidery on white blouses.

Zapotec

They stand out because they embroider folds that form figures of flowers representative of the vegetation area. They are also known for embroidering garments with dark velvet, embroidering gigantic flowers, and making pleated silk edging on the edges of the skirts.

The Oaxacan Zapotecs use a variety of natural dyes to provide various bright and striking colours to each skein of wool. Examples of these are the cochineal that creates a tint of many shades of red when dissolved with lemon. Pericón, a type of marigold, creates a yellowish tint. Jarilla leaves are used to create a pale green dye. And the Spanish moss creates a dark yellow tint.