Huipil of Santiago Atitlán Guatemala Extra Fine

Very large lovely hand embroidered and woven huipil from the town of Santiago Atitlán in Guatemala. These hand woven and embroidered cotton textiles are beautifully accented with flowers and birds. Santiago Atitlán is on the shore of Lake Atitlán in the highlands of Guatemala. The Mayans that live here are of the Tzutujil Nation. The huipils from Santiago are considered the best in the region.

This huipil is absolutely beautiful with hand embroidery that features flowers and leaves surrounding the collar. The woven cotton background is composed of vertical and horizontal stripes. In each square created by the woven lines, there are embroidered little birds, one to each square. There are well over 200 little birds here. The detail is amazing! The backcloth is loomed by hand and a back strap loom. A piece like this can take 3 month or more to make.

The huipils presented here were all purchased directly from the weaver. I was blessed to have befriended this gracious, wonderful and talented woman. In addition to her outstanding creations, I bought some huipils and other textiles from her sisters and her lovely 88 year old madre .

This one is highlighted with two rows of highly detailed birds of the Guatemala on the shoulder. These birds are much larger than the little birds of the body. The detail is amazingly fine is on a purple back cloth with dark purple vertical stripes and the horizontal dark purple stripes has a raised texture outlined with metallic blue and white stitches. It measures: 55” long x 28” wide. The diamond shaped neck opening is 8”x7". The sides are left open per tradition. Tzutuil woman wear them tucked into the cortes or skirts so that openings are folded over. It can be easily stitched up which I am willing to do you upon purchase and payment.

Many people will purchase these textiles to frame as art or use as a wall hanging The fabric is study and the weave is strong. The colors are brilliant. It does not appear to have been worn. The condition is what I consider as excellent for a hand crafted item. It has a hem on one end but the other end is left un-hemmed. It is totally clean and ready to wear. Huipil is a hand loomed, woven and embroidered top that the indigenous women wear. It made from usually 2 to 3 long pieces put together. A hole is made for the head. The weaving was done by the women on a back strap loom. The color and the figures all have a special meaning that is unique to their village, region and culture.

The art of the traditional weaving is past down from mother to daughter. Each region and village has their own distinct design and colors as well as language. Unfortunately more of the traditional weaving and other cultural ways are being influence and replaced by modernization of the U.S.A. & Europe.

I encourage you to invest in piece of Mayan culture and history while such treasures are still available. Buy purchasing items like these you are helping keep the ancient tradition alive while providing these amazing indigenous Mayan people with an income.

SOLAS

SERENDIPITY ON LINE ANTIQUE SALES

Dear Customer,

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   The dimensions and weight posted below are the approximate size of the packaging to calculate the shipping.   Please refer to the description for the actual size of the item.  The shipping quoted includes the handling, insurance and delivery confirmation.  To give you an idea on shipping of a particular item please refer to the size and weight.   I ship from Seattle, Zip Code 98103.      Most items will be sent USPS Priority Mail despite the website's auto calculation for FED EX Ground.  (Currently that is the only auto calculator offered via GoAntiques at this time)

   I try to give you the lowest shipping as possible but still making sure the item is secure.  It is all about size, weight and distance.  Fragile items need to be packed in a box with a lot of padding.   The box needs to be much larger than the item being shipped.   The cardboard box with the packaging material add to the weight and dimensions. 

   Large items like furniture need to be picked up in person.  Or your own arrangements can be made to have a shipping company pick up the items.    That is only after your payment has been made or cleared.    In rare circumstances I can deliver   within the greater Seattle –Tacoma area for a modest fee.  

    For non USA buyers:   the shipping is never auto-calculated.    As soon as the notification alerts me of a new sale, I get busy to find you the best shipping options for your location.  This can take a while to calculate to get accurate shipping costs.   Although I am not able to calculate or predict what the VAT is going to be for your country.  The VAT is added by your own postal program.   

      There is a chance that some of the older inventory has not yet been set up to auto-calculate the shipping.  A notification alerts me that there is a pending sale that needs shipping added.  As soon as the notification arrives the shipping is calculated to the lowest possible shipping for you based on the zip code, the dimensions and the weight of the item to be shipped.    Some of the older inventory could have outdated shipping information and may need updating. When that is the case I usually offer a shipping discount for the inconvenience.    Please send me an email for updated shipping information and to avoid surprises.

 Please remain patient, as I may not see the notification right away as the internet connection is going slow.  Or we could be on the road seeking new found treasures to offer.

Thank you. 

Serendipity OnLine Antique Sales

SOLAS

PS:    In consideration of our Planet Earth, kindly please recycle the packaging materials rather than dump in the garbage.  Many times people will post on social media offering free packaging materials so that others can utilize it.    The Styrofoam peanuts are the worst offenders as they never break down.  Birds, fishes and other animals will eat them and get very sick and die.   We all need to work together to save our wonderful and diverse wildlife.