Owing to the diffusion of hundreds of photographs depicting the beautiful hipiles worn by Mayan women, the beauty of Yucatecan traditional embroideries is now world-famous. These embroideries are a symbol of Yucatan and, of course, of Merida.
Yucatecan embroideries date from pre-Hispanic times, as proven by the discovery of pieces of embroidered garments at the bottom of Chichen-Itza’s sacred well. These embroideries were made using the “chuy cab” or satin-stitch technique. Other embroidery techniques still used to this day are the cross-stitch or “xocbil chuy” (introduced by the Spaniards) and a kind of openwork known as “xmanikte”.
Among the most popular machine embroidery stitches are the fill stitch, the shading stitch, the Renaissance stitch, the trellis stitch and the Richelieu stitch. The craft of embroidery is usually taught within the family. Since Colonial times, women who devoted themselves to this craft have had multicolored flowers as their favorite motifs.
The “terno” is the traditional women’s gala dress. This hand-embroidered garment is worn at weddings and girls’ fifteenth year celebrations. Embroidering a terno may take up to 3 months and must be done using silk fabric and threads.
Guayaberas are in a league of their own. They developed from the one-piece shirts made of rough cotton fabric worn by Cuban and Mayan peasants. With time, these shirts became more elaborate and elegant, including thin pleats, pockets, buttons, and even embroideries of geometric patterns.
Source: Merida artesanal (Handcrafts in Merida)
Segunda edicion 2005.
City Council of Merida
