The huilpil (pronounced wee-pil) is a traditional garment worn in Mexico and Central America, that is so varied and beautiful in design that it commands a coffee-table tome published in its honour (note-to-self future project)
Why?
Experts and anthropologists have written about them, historians have studied them and Frida Kahlo wore them. And me, I am completely obsessed by them. In fact, you could say, a huilpil encounter of the handmade kind, in the south of Mexico kickstarted my whole Kristy meets adventure.
So what exactly is a huilpil?
Uniform. Daily wear. Indigenous essential.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Community identifier. Historical garment. Celebratory wear.
Affirmative.
Mayan couture. Coastal wear. Tribal tunic.
Yup.
Hand made. Hand woven. Embroidered or whizzed up on a Singer.
Huilpils, in all their gloriousness, are all of this and more.
So what does a huilpil look like?
Imagine if Martin Margiela and Frida Kahlo had a fashion love child – the huilpil would be their colourful offspring.
Worn by indigenous women in modern and ancient Mayan Mexico and Central America (and textile lovers like myself), the huilpil is a one-size fits all, sleeveless tunic, that is intricately embroidered, brocaded or hand-woven on a traditional back-strap loom: a portable loom that is anchored to a tree, pole or wall, and then belted around the hips of the female weaver.
Huilpils can be made of cotton, wool, silk and even satin-y polyester and come in a mind blowing array of couture worthy finishes.
Huilpil origins hark back to ancient Mayan civilization, when noble and artistic women wove.
Today, the tradition the art of weaving a huilpil is alive and well thanks to weaving families passing the skill down through the generations.
Wander into a traditional Mayan village in the highlands of Mexico and if you are fortunate to stumble upon a local woman who leads you ‘pied piper’ style down a calle, follow her. You may discover the ancient art for of huilpil creation in motion: an artista and her loom, her deft hands passing threads through the weft and warp, birthing textile that are derivative of life in her village.
Huilpils are wardrobe staple: worn for all celebrations and as a daily uniform
Like pair of ripped denims are to a modern woman’s wardrobe, the huilpil is the backbone of every Mayan mujer’s clothing capsule, her everyday go-to and multi-tasking garment that connects her to her community and culture, expresses her creativity and status, and even identifies her place of birth.
Huilpils can be worn for ceremonial purposes (especially breathtaking) and as an everyday uniform for Mayan women.
Every female from ankle biters to the elders wear their unique village version. Older ladies embrace their roots and exclusively sport the traditional village huilpil design while younger women bend the rules, donning tunics made from modern fabrics and colourful threads.
Huilpils come in a dizzying array of colours and designs
What makes huilpils extra special is that every tunic design is unique and exclusive to the village it was created in, allowing outsiders to identify the hometown of it’s wearer.
In the Mayan village of Magdalena Aldamas, located in southern Mexico, the local women wear musky pink huilpils brocaded with red strips and ancient universal symbols while the women in the nearby village of San Andres Larrainzar opt for a bolder tunic, embracing diamond patterns in vermillion red woven into a bleached white cloth.
Not far from where the mockingbird flies in Amatenango Del Valle, on the outskirts of San Cristobal de Las Casas, huilpils are riff on their neighbouring village’s tunic in Aguacatenango, with a design frillier than an Australian native lizard and ornately embroidered with floral patterns in hot pinks, sky blues and soothing aqua.
Venture into Chamula, where winters chill to the bone, to spot an entirely different looking Huipil: a black shaggy, wilderbeast-like tunic and skirt ensemble guaranteed to ward off the cold.
The more intricate the design of Huilpil - the more masterful the maker
Fact.
Huilpils are a work of art and a statement in slow fashion.
An everyday huilpil may take an artistana anywhere from four weeks to six months to weave, while a huilpil reserved for the Saints or a special occasion can take up to two or more years to make.
Designs are made from her dreams
Female artisanas embed their unique handwriting into every huilpil they create. Their signature patterns and symbols are woven, brocaded or embroidered into the cloth. Designs appear in her dreams as symbols, colour or patterns. Animal and nature motifs are common: frogs, jaguars and flowers. These visions will be used to decorate sleeves or necklines of a huilpil and communicate to the women who live in her village that she is the maker of the huilpil.
And because of this, textiles made in the traditional indigenous villages of Mexico and Central America are living, breathing works of art, that can carry you like a magic carpet ride into the past and present as well as into the mind of the maker.
Inspired by the huilpil?
Want to know more learn more?
Or discover how you can rock one with your everyday wear?
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About Kristy Swift
Kristy Swift, is self confessed textile hunter, creator of Kristy meets, writer of wearable stories and slow fashionista who travels into remote destinations chasing fabric and meeting makers of all kinds. She is passionate about supporting artisan communities, female empowerment and fair trade. She has recently returned from her recent Mexican Mayan adventure to her homeland of Australia with handmade Mayan textiles from the regions she has visited (clothing and homewares) available to purchase.
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