Do you know where the largest textile gallery in the Mayan world is?

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The colorful and ingenious clothes, the product of indigenous hands in the south of the country, have a space for their exhibition

The Centro de Textiles del Mundo Maya, located in the heart of San Cristóbal de las Casas, in the mountainous area of Chiapas, includes more than 2,500 pieces of indigenous fabric and is one of the most beautiful places within Chiapas.

The collection of the Centro de Textiles del Mundo Maya comes mainly from two collections: that of the Pellizzi Collection Board, AC and that of Fomento Cultural Banamex AC, the latter contains important examples of Chiapas fabrics collected since 1996.

In addition to the fabrics from Chiapas, Guatemalan fabrics from 17 departments of that country are preserved and it has dresses made by hand since the 1920s and is made up of more than a thousand pieces, which can be seen in the facilities of the former Convent of San Agustín (the “small” San Agustín, the other is in Oaxaca ), one of the first Dominican constructions in Chiapas.

The collection of the Pellizzi Collection Board is the result of exhaustive research in the towns of Chiapas carried out between 1972 and 1979. Its creation was promoted by the anthropologist Francesco Pellizzi and together it brings together 793 pieces, old and contemporary at the time it was made. the search. It was met under the criteria of Francesco Pellizzi and Walter F. Morris Jr.

The selection of multi-colored dresses and some of the oldest pieces that are kept in good condition can be seen in dozens of cabinets with drawers that visitors can open without any problem, the collection is constantly updated and is exhibited in the Textile Art Room of the museum.

In the collection there are many pieces made by Tojolabal, Chole, Tzeltal and Tzotzil hands from Chiapas; and the Quichés, Ixchiles, Cakchiqueles, Mam and Kekchíes of Guatemala.

Meaning of symbols in designs

Each garment from Tenejapa, Chenalhó or Larráinzar has its own story engraved; predominantly red, yellow, blue, green or white colors have a close relationship in the ruling vision of the cosmos of the universe and its formation.

Also notable are the textiles from Amatenango del Valle, San Bartolomé de los Llanos (Venustiano Carranza), Aguatenango, Zinacantán, Bochil, Ocosingo, Chamula, Las Margaritas, and in the northern mountains. Chiapa de Corzo, an emblem not only of the cultural richness of that city, but also identified with the very essence of Chiapas, the embroideries of this place deserve special mention.

Most of the symbols integrated into indigenous clothing and creations are related to the ancestral cosmogony of the Mayan peoples, highlighting elements such as the stars, the universe, the ceiba trees (trees that represent the columns that support the sky), the relationship between father and mother and of course, animals and flowers.

Where is it located?

Av. 20 de Noviembre s / n
Barrio El Cerrillo
CP 29220
San Cristóbal De Las Casas, San Cristóbal de las Casas , Chiapas
Tels .: (967) 631 30 94

Hours and costs

Open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
General admission: $ 65
Sundays: free entry for national visitors
Teachers, students, people with disabilities , INAH researchers , children under 13 years of age and INAPAM : free entry
The use of a video camera is subject to the payment of rights

With information from Espíritu del Mundo Maya and SIC México

San Cristobal Post