Colotenango daily huipil.

This circa-1970 huipil was hand woven on a back strap loom in three white, orange and red warp-striped cotton base panels. The panels are decorated with supplementary brocade in typical Colotenango geometric designs. The center panel is more heavily decorated. “The [Colotenango] huipil is short, relatively wide and is worn hanging loose outside the corte. The brocade often includes small, multi-colored diamonds or squares woven in a soumak technique”. (Centro de Textiles Tradicionales Nim Po’t, see nimpot.com) The “soumak” technique involves wrapping weft threads around warp threads in various patterns. This huipil is a particularly good example of the “soumak” technique. The head and arm openings are trimmed with multi-colored hand embroidery. This very fine huipil is in excellent condition. It was part of the museum quality Vourvoulias Collection, brought to the US in 1975 by the Guatemalan sculptor, Joyce Bush de Vourvoulias. W 86 x L 46 cm. (12-62) $ 180.