Rebozos a Wearable Utilitarian Folk Art

Approximately twenty miles from where I live, the Sociedad Cooperative Textil Artesanal located in La Piedad, Michoacan is attempting to preserve in its region an indigenous folk art of Mexico, the dying, weaving, and knotting/braiding of rebozos. Founded in 1963, the coop now only has 24 associates/rebozo artisans who are mostly men in their 70s; only one son of an artisan is continuing there in his father's line of work. In La Piedad, which once was one of the leading rebozo manufacturing locales in Mexico and in some other similar Mexican communities, rebozo creation, an expression of Mexican utilitarian art, fashion, history, and culture is in danger of extinction due to various factors: lack of perceived market value and cultural importance by the artisans themselves; limited inter-generational teaching and training; no sponsored schools or workshops; and less skilled and less physically demanding opportunities in higher paying occupations.

Rebozos are dyed and woven garments worn by women, either patterned or with singular or multiple solid-colors, rectangular in shape, that are normally 30" wide and range from 80 to 110" in length that are distinctively finished on the ends with fringe that are either knotted simply or braided elaborately. Like many things Mexican, they are a blending of prehispanic and colonial cultures. Rebozos are derived from the indigenous prehispanic “lienzo” or “tilmatli,” a simple shawl made from maguey and henequen fibres and the Spanish cape/cloak, the “mantilla.” Taken from the verb “rebozar” meaning “to cover,” the rebozo came into existence at the mandate of the Spanish who insisted that indigenous Mexican women wear a head covering when entering church.

Ranging in price from $8 to upwards of $300, now made from cotton, wool, silk, or most recently, like the ones made in La Piedad, semi-synthetic materials referred to as “artisela,” rebozos have been described as being “a ubiquitous garment” because they are worn by women of all social classes and because they have multiple uses. They are used in the following ways: as a shawl; as a scarf; as a sash worn over the shoulder; as a sling to carry children; as a knapsack to carry goods to and from the market; as a flat cushion when folded many times to balance loads carried on their heads; as a water jar carrier when twisted around the head; and as a burial shroud.

While day-to-day multi-usage of the rebozo is still prevalent among Mexico’s indigenous groups, women in the country’s growing middle and upper classes primarily wear them as decorative and fashion statements; an exception to that being that, mostly in rural areas, widows will be seen perpetually wearing an all black one as a shawl, the “rebozo de aroma.” Moreover, also described as “wearable art,” rebozos in the national colors of red, green, and white are often seen being worn during “fiestas patrias”/national holiday celebrations and as part of the regional costumes worn during the performances of folkloric dances.

Although the laborious (be it back strap or foot loom weaving) tradition of fabricating rebozos has greatly diminished in recent years, they are made all over Mexico. However, the best known rebozo fabricating locations are in the states of Michoacan (primarily in the Purepecha Plateau and La Piedad), Mexico (particularly in the communities of Malinalco and Tenancingo), Queretaro, Guanajuato (with the textile city of Moroleon being a leading producer), Oaxaca, and, arguably most famous of all, San Luis Potosi. Located in the state of San Luis Potosi, the town of Santa Maria del Rio is known as the “birthplace of the rebozo.”- significantly, this is the only community in Mexico where the crafting of all silk rebozos has survived. It is there at the Escuela de Reboceria, founded in 1953 by the Federal and State governments to foster the training of future skilled artisans, that in addition to rayon-silk rebozos, this school and workshop using silk imported from China creates on back strap looms the most expensive of all of the rebozos, the silk “caramelo” rebozo.

The other day while in nearby Zamora, the third largest city in Michoacan, I saw numerous examples of rebozos for sale, for display, and being worn. In its sprawling tianguis-like permanent marketplace, there were stores specializing in the sale of rebozos of all materials, qualities, and prices. I saw indigenous women from villages in the Zamora area using their customary and traditional blue and black rebozos as shawls to shield themselves from the sun, as knapsacks to carry goods, and as slings to carry infants. At its cultural and performing arts center, I saw posters featuring rebozos for an upcoming folk art exhibit. In an upscale neighborhood, I saw fashionable women with brightly colored rebozos draped over their shoulders while in the famous cathedral/sanctuary I saw widows wearing all black ones as shawls. Yes, unfortunately, the art of crafting rebozos is somewhat a dying one in Mexico. Fortunately, however, they remain a ubiquitous utilitarian symbol of indigenous Mexican folk art.