CHICHICASTENANGO HUIPIL-FROM THE GUATEMALAN HIGHLANDS Start Price USD 29.99 Current Price USD 41.00 Time Left - Bid Count 3 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, August 23, 2008 End Time Saturday, August 30, 2008 Location sweet home, OR See more about 'CHICHICASTENANGO HUIPIL-FROM THE GUATEMALAN HIGHLANDS' Description This is a CHICHICASTENANGO Huipil. It is in wearable and or collectible condition. You can see in the photo of the neck opening that the elastic is worn. You can also see the way the collar is constructed. The base fabric is cotton. The supplemental weft decoration looks like embroidery thread. I have included a picture of the "inside" so you can see how it is made; picture 2. The feel is completely soft though the decorated part feels thick and a bit heavy.  Note in the first picture, at the bottom there are ridges in the fabric. This is an unmistakable signal that this piece was made when thread had more value than time. Rather than cut the tread the weaver would work the weft into the warp with a piece of umbrella rib. It is made in 3 lianzas. Each lianza has 4 selvedge edges. This makes it at least 25 years old.These designs are different than the more floral designs used in everyday street wear. I suspect this was made for cofradia use. It is less extreme in its angularity and dark/light contrast than many cofradia pieces.  The lack of a floral motif is convincing.   SIZE: Referring to picture 1, It is 32 inches between the upper corners. It is more or less 24 inches from the upper corners to the bottom. The lianzas are slightly different lengths. 24 inches is sort of an average. This is a nice huipil that is correct for its time and place of origin. It is best used as a snuggly piece of exotic clothing. It will fit someone comfortable in a men's large T. The thread that goes into this kind of hand made clothing costs more than my starting bid. It is an unimaginable bargain. I know quite a bit about this kind of clothing so feel free to ask questions. Place a Bid!