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| Department: |
Sacatepequez |
| Language Group: |
Kaqchikel |
| Elevation: |
2,070m |
Patron Saint &
Festival day: |
El dulce nombre de Jesús
- January 1 |
| Market Day: |
Sunday |
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Santa María de Jesús, situated on the eastern saddle of the Agua volcano 10 kilometers from Antigua, is largely an agricultural town whose Gladiola flowers and vegetables can be found in the markets of Antigua and Guatemala City. Women and girls from Sta. Maria are always a presence in Antigua, selling textiles and artesania to tourists on the streets and in the markets.
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There are many types of huipiles worn in Santa Maria. The huipil most often identified with Sta. Maria is a two-panel backstrap woven daily use huipil that incorporates interlocking diamond figures in a predominately pink or purple bias with a secondary palette of green and blue. The fiesta huipil, now often worn for daily use, was originally hand-embroidered but now is generally machine embroidered by men. It features two facing quetzals surrounded by flower and animal motifs that were taken from a Totonicapán huipil. The background cloth is usually commercial fabric, although Totonicapán foot-treadle trade huipiles are also used. The men of Santa María have developed machine embroidery into a true art form. |
The expensive "status symbol" huipil from nearby San Antonio Aguas Calientes is also worn in Santa María, traditionally as a wedding huipil although it is now seen worn for daily use and can be distinguished from a San Antonio huipil used in San Antonio by the addition of a Sta. Maria square neck opening with velvet trim. Men in Sta. Maria also produce a lower-cost, machine-embroidered copy of the San Antonio huipil, imitating the marcador motifs as well as the geometric brocaded bands. Another style of huipil is derived from that of San Juan Sacatepéquez, and is used together with Sta. Maria variations of the Sn. Juan belt and skirt. The long ceremonial huipil, used by high-ranking cofradia members, is woven in three panels with the central panel often including the double-headed eagle motif. Copies of this traditional textile are frequently sold to tourists in Antigua. |
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The traditional Santa María de Jesus morga is indigo blue with light blue stripes. Many women have adopted the San Juan skirt that features a white plaid pattern against a black background with a modified randa.
The modern representative woman's belt is woven in colors similar to those found on the huipil with brocaded geometric and zoomorphic motifs. An earlier style belt, now only worn by older women, is a plain-weave sash of red stripes separated by other colors. |
The daily tzute, made of two blue or red backstrap woven panels, features rows of elaborately brocaded bird, animal and geometric motifs, often with an added randa. The woman's cofradía tzute is much larger with a red grid on a white base and less dense brocading.
The men's traje, now only used for ceremonial occasions, includes a red shirt with brocaded figures related to those of the woman's tzute, a similar head cloth and a plain red sash.
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