Woven cotton; Guatemala; 1875-1890

1931 Description: Blanket. woven in cotton on a cotton warp. The pattern consists of broad stripes of brown, blue and cream on which are narrow stripes of red. The blanket is in two pieces, joined together down the centre with faggot stitching in red, yellow, blue and green coton. Each piece is woven with a selvedge all round.

1975 Description: Tzute (utility cloth). This is similar to T.24-1931 although there is considerable difference in size, explained by the different purpose tzutes are used for, and a difference in the arrangments of the stripes explained by the fact that all pieces are handwoven and vary accordingly. Because this tzute is so much smaller, it could also be called a servilleta. Both pieces are definately from the same village. Both are cotton and are composed of two pieces embroidered together (embroidered seams are known as randas). Each separate piece has 4 selvedgesand this is characteristic of backstrap loom weaving. The fabric is warp faced. The brown cotton (fawn) is the natural undyed cotton known as Cuyuscate or Ixcaco (Gossypium Mexicanum). The dark blue is indigo dyed.

Technical Details (1995)
Warp faced plain weave.
Warp: 51 threads per inch. (i) white cotton; Z-spun, paired threads; (ii) blue cotton; Z-spun, paired threads; (iii) brown cotton; Z-spun, paired threads; (iv) red cotton; Z2Z; (v) yellow cotton; Z2Z; (vi) green cotton; Z2Z.
Weft: 16 threads per inch. White cotton; Z-spun, usually paired threads. There is a loosely woven band about 3.5" below the top (as numbered) of each panel and about 2.5" deep.
Lower Edge: Left hand panel: first 3 sheds each contain 4 weft threads. Right hand panel: 3 or 4 threads per shed in the first 20" of fabric.
Upper Edge: Left hand panel: last 3 sheds each contain 4 weft threads. right hand panel: nopthing special, just paired weft threads.
Randa: there is evidence that both panels were first secured with white cotton and then overworked with blocks of green, red, yellow and blue cotton giving the effect of buttonhole stitch.

Bequeathed by Alfred Percival Maudslay

Registered File no. 2743/1931.

Dr Rosario de Polanco, Directora Technica of the Museo Ixchel de Traje Indigena, Guatemala City (personal communication September 1989): 'From a village in the Department of Solola.'
Krystyna Deuss, Director of the Guatemalan Indian Centre, London (personal communication July 1995): 'From a village in the municipality of Solola and its villages.'
Ann P Rowe, Curator of Western Hemisphere Textiles at the textile Museum, Washington DC (personnal communication 1997): Solola

Tzutes are used for many purposes: if two corners are tied in front of the body, the rest of the cloth forms a sling across the back which can be used for carrying small children. It could be used as a shawl, or worn folded on the head or as a covering for baskets of food in the market or on baskets being carried. This tzute is made from two panels of unequal width which were first secured with white cotton and were then oversewn with blocks of green, red, yellow and blue cotton. A decorative seam such as this is known as a randa. The brown cotton is a natural undyed cotton known as Cuyuscate or Ixcaco (Gossypium Mexicanum). It produces shorter fibres than the more common white cotton and consequently is more difficult to spin, more expensive and more highly prized by weavers.

T.27-1931