Experience the color and delight of Latin America with Mexico resident Merry Elizabeth Foss
Consider this ...
A custom rebozo made just for you
with your name on the knotted fringe !!!
I am definitely addicted to both the collecting and wearing of my rebozos.
The weavers and fringe-makers of my town of Malinalco and nearby Tenancingo are frequented by my visits. I have a strong desire to support their craft; to keep it flowing and moving into the future of Mexico, and out into an appreciative world of fellow wearers, collectors and admirers. Enjoy acquainting yourself below with a bit of history on Mexican rebozo production and traditions.
Meanwhile, I am available as your personal guide in exploring the above weavers, dyers and fringe-makers in their natural working environment. Should you have an interest in an in-depth experience of this rich cultural Mexican tradition, I would be delighted to be your guide and design a private tour for you, alone or otherwise. Click to contact Merry here
Why not get a few friends together and come enjoy Malinalco and this beautiful tradition with me.
The Origin of the ‘Rebozo’ or Shawl
The Mexican 'rebozo' is a beautiful traditional garment proudly placed across one's back; pulling the ends around ones body to protect from the cold, to carry children next to ones heart, or simply to wrap oneself in a soft embrace. Exquisitely elegant, whether worn by a village girl or city dweller; circling the waist, crossed over the breast or boldly tossed across a shoulder, there is no other garment to match such versatility. Since the 19th C. it has been considered a part of the Mexican national identity. A garment to take great pride in!
The complex process of both creating it and the forms of use of a rebozo is a time-honored tradition, dating back to pre-Hispanic times, and later enriched with the arrival of the Spaniards. Mexican artisans achieved such perfection and beauty in their elaboration of the garment, that its use gradually and subtly extended to all sectors of society as time passed. Artisans have spent lifetimes and generations in perfecting a manner of producing and decorating their rebozos (the best fibers, the designs, the preparation and application of dyes, the weaving method and the fringe), while Mexican women have continued to explore the diversity of uses this garment provides, thus allowing it to survive until modern times and be widely appreciated around the world and amongst other cultures.
Steps in Making the Rebozo
1. Devanado (winding): The threads are separated.
2. Urdimbre (warping) : Determines the rebozo length and width.
3. Pepenado (picking): Individual threads are distributed to create’ cords’.
4. Boleado (starching): The material is soaked in ‘atole’, a mixture of water and corn
starch to stiffen the ‘cords’ and help with the dyeing for the design.
5. Dibujado (drawing): The ‘ikat’ design is hand-drawn on the ‘cords’.
6. Amarrado (tying): The ‘cords’ are hand-tied to block the die from certain areas of
the cloth, also known as the ‘ikat’ technique.
7. Remojado (soaking): The ‘cords’ are soaked to remove the ‘atole’ water, allowing
the color pigments to penetrate the cloth.
8. Tenido (dying): The cloth is tinted with natural colors such as ‘indigo’ from a plant,
or ‘cochineal’ from an insect.
9. Secado (drying): The dyed threads are extended between two points and left to dry.
10. Desatado (untying): The threads tied around the ‘cords’ are cut and removed.
11. Apuntado (pointing): A complex process of tying knots in the warp to keep it from shifting on the loom; thereby
2. Urdimbre (warping) : Determines the rebozo length and width.
3. Pepenado (picking): Individual threads are distributed to create’ cords’.
4. Boleado (starching): The material is soaked in ‘atole’, a mixture of water and corn
starch to stiffen the ‘cords’ and help with the dyeing for the design.
5. Dibujado (drawing): The ‘ikat’ design is hand-drawn on the ‘cords’.
6. Amarrado (tying): The ‘cords’ are hand-tied to block the die from certain areas of
the cloth, also known as the ‘ikat’ technique.
7. Remojado (soaking): The ‘cords’ are soaked to remove the ‘atole’ water, allowing
the color pigments to penetrate the cloth.
8. Tenido (dying): The cloth is tinted with natural colors such as ‘indigo’ from a plant,
or ‘cochineal’ from an insect.
9. Secado (drying): The dyed threads are extended between two points and left to dry.
10. Desatado (untying): The threads tied around the ‘cords’ are cut and removed.
11. Apuntado (pointing): A complex process of tying knots in the warp to keep it from shifting on the loom; thereby
protecting the design.
12. Almidonado (starching): The threads are bundled into a skein and soaked in starched water to ease their use on the loom.
13. Entreverado: The ‘ikat’ dyed threads (jaspe) and the background threads (fondo) of a solid color are joined together.
12. Almidonado (starching): The threads are bundled into a skein and soaked in starched water to ease their use on the loom.
13. Entreverado: The ‘ikat’ dyed threads (jaspe) and the background threads (fondo) of a solid color are joined together.
14. Tejido (weaving): The weaving of the ‘pano’, the rebozo fabric itself.
15. Empuntado (knotting the fringe): The final step is to have the loose ends of the ‘rebozo’ knotted in an elaborate decorative fringe, known as the ‘punta’ or ‘rapacejo’.
15. Empuntado (knotting the fringe): The final step is to have the loose ends of the ‘rebozo’ knotted in an elaborate decorative fringe, known as the ‘punta’ or ‘rapacejo’.
Dyes & Aromas
Formerly, colors of organic and natural origins such as ‘cochineal’ (insect), moss, ‘anil’
(indigo plant) and others, were used to dye the ‘rebozos’, a complex process that required
much more time and skill than the current ease of the ‘aniline’ (chemical) dyes so readily
available. A traditional technique is the ‘jaspeado’ or ‘ikat’, consisting of partially dyeing
thread, isolating small areas of the main theme with knotted threads, so that when the whole is
dyed, the part that is covered by the knot keeps its original color.
Some ‘rebozo’ weavers still use traditional recipes to give the ‘rebozo’ a unique scent,
requiring a painstaking process using plants collected in different seasons, which must then be
dried and distilled. This garden is
immersed in a vat where the herbs are boiled, the liquid is strained and the threads left to soak
in it for a length of time. In this way, the skeins of thread are imbued with the unique aromatic
essence of the ‘rebozo’.
Looms
‘Rebozos’ were originally woven on waist-held, back-strap looms, also known as ‘otate xoxopastli’, which consists of assorted wood pieces, each of a separate use. Once the warp is tied onto the loom, the tension is provided by tying one end of the loom to a post or tree, with the opposite end attached to the weaver’s waist with a ‘mescapal’, or waistband. This process requires greater skill and more time to weave, as the back-strap loom is ‘warped’ for only one rebozo at a time, allowing each ‘rebozo’ to have it’s own unique design and color combination
The pedal looms of pre-historic origin are manually operated and produce ‘labor rebozos’; here as many as twenty ‘rebozos’ can be woven at a time.
Mechanical looms are used mostly for ‘articela’ (an articial silk-like thread) ‘rebozos’.
The Rebozo’s Characteristics
Usually the ‘rebozo’s approximate size is 2.30 meters (7’7”) long, by either 50 cm (1’8”) wide or 65 cm (2’6”). It can come in various sizes; ‘grande’ (large), ‘tres cuartos’ (¾ length), ‘mediana’ (medium) and ‘ratoncitos’ (mice).
The ‘rapacejo’ (knotted fringe) is a fundamental part of the ‘rebozo’ and the delicacy can be quite similar to lace. The quality of the knotting, the length and width of the points, and the artistry of design, add an elegant compliment to the rebozo. ‘Rapacejo’ designs are widely varied and can have the ‘rebozo’ owner’s name, text, frets, hearts, stars and animal designs; among endless others. This work has been traditionally done by women called ‘empuntadoras’.
