The Saltillo Sarape

March 9 - May 4, 1997

Johnson County CommunityCollege • Galleryof Art The Saltillo Sarape design elements: the outermost is a frame or border enclosing tl1e seco nd element, a History "backgro und" field of often contrasting During the colonial period of Spain's ew design. A large, central loze nge or circular World empire, uniqu e textiles referred to as medallion formed the tl1ird element (often Saltillo sarapes were woven in the area now similar in design and color to t11e border). know n as Mexico. In this region, wearing While tl1ere were countless variations on blankets were produc ed of such exce ptional tl1ese design themes, tl1ese tl1ree elements beauty that their fame became truly interna­ are recog nizable in most Saltillo sarapes. tional in scope. Usually, tl1e sarape had a neck-slit The precise history of Saltillo sarapes is (bocamanga) permitting it to be worn as not know n. Even the most basic information a po ncho. The central design t11en formed a - origin of design elements, identities of colorful yoke around tl1e wea rer's shoulders. attisans and own ers, exact places and Each of the principal des ign zones was conditions of manufacture - remains subject composed of a myriad of small, multi­ to speculation. Alt.hough private journals, colored motifs, such as triangles, hourglasses , government reports and general histories of loze nges, ovals and rhomboids, which were the region mention these garments, ve1y few used in various combinations to achieve of them include much detail, and often the multi-hued patterns tl1at often see m to data that can be gleaned from such sources vibrate because of t11e sharp angles of the are contradictory. In this essay, a brief designs and tl1e sudd en shifts in color. summa1y of some of what is know n about Rows of similar-colored motifs, giving the Saltillo sarapes is presented. Further facts appearance of stripes in Saltillos, und oubtedly abo ut the origin, development and eventual prompted t11e native Nahuatl name for tl1ese decline of these garments must awa it more sarapes: acoce malotic-tilmatli, "rainbow extensive resea rch into prima1y sources such mantle." as trade records, hacienda inventories, wills, dowries and industrial and labor legislation Weaving and Dye ing of the colonial era. Curiously, many extant Saltillo sarapes are in The sarapes that are the central focus of Saltillo Sarape, 1750-1825, woo l on cotton, surprisingly goo d condition, having retained this discussion are kno wn by the generic 94" x 55", courtesy private collection, St. Louis, Mo . both the suppleness and integrity of t11e cloth term "Saltillo" after the town of Saltillo, in the and tl1e vibrancy of tl1e dyes. It is known present state of Coahuila. In actuality, many t11at Saltillos were greatly treasured and that sarapes were not produ ced in Saltillo; rather, t11ey commanded high prices from the vety there were weav ing centers throughout beginning. For t11ese reaso ns, it see ms that Mexico, including mining communities, spec ial care must have been exercised in sprawling cattle and sheep ranches and vast weav ing and storing them. agricultural settlements. Because Saltillo In an examination of the Saltillo sarapes gained fame as a center of trading, tl1e tetm that have survived the passage of time , "Saltillo'' gradually came to be associated cettain consistencies of structure, as we ll as with any finely wove n sarape of that time. design, are noticeable. The classic Saltillo Besides Saltillo, San Miguel de Allende, sarape was wove n in a weft-faced tapestty Guanajuato, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis wea ve, in w hich t11e weft yarns are so tightly Potosi, Zacatecas and otl1er cities are among packed togetl1er that t11e warp yarns are no those mentioned as having produ ced fine longer visible. sarapes of similar quality and design. The materials used to weave Saltillo sarapes were fairly limited. Wefts we re Sources of Design almost always woo l, although later examples Tracing tl1e development of the Saltillo made some use of cotton, silk, rayon or sarape is complicated at tl1e ve1y outset by metallic yarns. Hand-plied warps we re either controve rsy ove r tl1e origin of tl1e sarape cotton or woo l. Botl1 weft and warp were itself. It is generally accepted that this type of characteristically very finely spun . wea ring blanket was not indigenous to The rich colors so characteristic of tl1e Mexico, but represents, as so many otl1er Saltillo sarapes were obtained from a variety Mexican arts do, a uniqu e blend of native of natural dyes, the most prominent being and Spanish elements. cochineal (grana) and indigo (aiiil). By the While the exact evolution of the sarape is time harsher aniline dyes were introduced far from explicit, the pattern of development into Mexico, during the last quatter of the of the sarape called Saltillo is somew hat 19th centu1y , t11e era of the classic Saltillo clearer. In its classic form, the Saltillo sarape was over. manifests cettain design elements tl1at help Saltillo sarapes were woven on European­ to explain its histo1y. style horizontal frame looms, and due to the The skillful use of colored yarns to intt·icacy of designs it was most practical to achieve a mosaic effect may be singled out Saltillo Sarape , 1800-1860, woo l on woo l, weave a panel appro ximately two feet in as the most obvious feature of these wea ring 99" x 50", collectio n Mark and Lerin W inter, width. As a result, the majority of sarapes blankets. Saltillos usually have three principal Santa Fe, N.M. we re wove n in two separate panels and seamed toge ther. The skill required to occupationally classified as shearers, woo l duplicate the intricate pattern on eac h panel cleaners, combers, dyers, spinn ers, warpers, so that the designs of the two halves, when weave rs and fullers. As a result, the Spanish­ joined, matched and appeared as a unified influenced textile industry in Mexico also whole is clearly phenomenal. reflected tl1is same division of labo r. Women continued to weave on backsu·ap loo ms, The Weaving Industry in Mexico producing native garments for home The identity of individual sarap eros is rarely consumption, and to spin strong cotton known , although the beauty of the garments yarns needed to warp the European-style they wove attests to their maste,y of the art loo ms on which the men wove . The success of weaving. To arrive at a reasonable idea of of the new indusuy was immense and imme­ who they might have been, it is necessa ry to diate. Within the space of only 50 years, und erstand how the production of sarapes looms in Mexico could duplicate tl1e quality belongs to the larger pattern of development of any woo len goo ds produced in Spain. of the Mexican textile industJy. Two entirely different systems of weav ing technology met Trade Fairs and merged with the arrival of Spaniards in Commerce in Mexico, like inclustty, was the New World. Inasmuch as a highly greatly affected by policies generated in productive indigenous inclustJy already Spain. Tracie witl1 the Orient placed Mexico existed, the Spanish system can be regarded squarely in tl1e middle of a thriving interna­ as a mere overlay. But in at least two tional market. The so-called Manila Galleons respects, the introduction of woo l and the sailed from the Orient to and from the dependence on male weave rs, pro found western prnt of Acapulco, bringing spices, changes were made. silks, ceramics and other trade goo ds. The In pre-Hispanic times, cotton and ixtle Spanish treasure fleets , leaving from tl1e were the principal textile fibers in Mexico. eastern po1t of Veracruz, returnee! to Spain Cotton, a native plant, was of some antiquity, laden witl1 Oriental goo ds as well as silver, carbon-dating to appr oximately 5800 B.C. By cotton, cochineal, textiles, chocolate, coffee, 5000 B.C., cotton was a cultivated crop. Ixtle tobacco , sugar and other products of New is derived from tl1e fibrous leaves of the Saltillo Sarape, 1750-1825, woo l o n cotto n, Spain. A network of roads connected the maguey, or agave, plant. Although ixtle is a 99" x 56", collectio n Jim Collin s, Aspen, Colo . two po1ts by way of Puebla. In an effo1t to su·ong, serviceable fiber, tl1e smoothness and control commerce as much as possible, tl1e sheerness of cotton made it much more Spanish government, to the benefit of Puebla esteemed for use in clotl1ing. As a result, merchants, decreed that Veracruz and cotton garments we re wo rn by native priests Acapu lco we re the only ports through which and nobility, while commoners had to international trade might be conducted. content themselves with clothes of ixtle. The result of tl1is resu·ictive u·ade was a Weaving, spinning and embroide ty were system of fairs, which distributed impo rted all performed by women in pre-Cartesian and domestic goo ds throughout Mexico. Mexico. Some individuals achieved such a Since tl1e fairs were held at different times of high leve l of proficiency that they were tl1e year in different places , a regular route rega rded as a separate class or group of for participants developed, with merchants professionals. These wom en wove especially leaving one fair and u·aveling towa rd anotl1er. detailed patterns, such as tl1ose which Tracie fairs established in the northern deco rated the borders of garments. Luxuty provinces were critical factors in tl1e materials - including featl1ers and dyed eco nomic life of severa l towns, including rabb it hair - were freq uently employee! in Saltillo, San Juan de los Lagos, Chmuahua these design zones. and Taos, in ew Mexico. While commerce The advent of sheep to the New World in these regions was not lin1ited to the annu al followe d hard on the hee ls of the Spanish fairs, they did rep resent a major financial, as Conquest. The first breed to be inu·oduced well as social, event. was the "churro ," initially valued for meat Most impottant of the northern u·ade fairs rather than woo l. By the encl of tl1e 16th was that held eve,y September and the first centu,y, huge herds of sheep we re not part of October in Saltillo. The Saltillo fair uncommon. was established in the early 17th century and Besides the "introdu ction of shee p and continued until the advent of the railroads at woo l for weav ing, the Spaniards created, in tl1e turn of the 20tl1 centu1y. effect, a new type of artisan: the male Indian Although domes tically produced , the weave r. It may neve r have occurred to the Saltillo sarape was one of the costliest Spaniards to teach native wo men weave rs commod ities for sale at tl1e Saltillo fair. tl1e use of the mechanical loom. Like so Merchants would obtain as many Saltillo many otl1er conqu ering peoples, they sarapes as tl1ey could, later trading them at impose d their own way of doing things on other trade fairs along the circuit. Continued the conquered. Sixteenth-centrny textile Saltillo Sara.pe,1800- 1860, woo l on cotton, demand for sarapes appa rently stimulated pro duction in Spain was a highly structured, 92" x 51", collectio n Mark and Lerin W inter, increased production of these garments. guilcl-contJ·ollecl indu stry in which men were Santa Fe, N.M. The end of the colonial period was tl1e beginning of the end of the classic Saltillo production of sarapes during the 19tl1century sarape. Political unrest in Mexico, which - a growing sense of Mexican patriotism , began in the first decade of the 19th centu1y espec ially after the Mexican Independence in and continued almost unabated for over a 1821, which adopted the sarape, a uniqu ely centu1y, had an adverse effect on most Mexican garment , as its symbo l. aspects of commerce and indusuy. Closely allied wiili this nationalistic fervor ...... were tl1e aficionados of charreria, a brand of In/7,uence of the Saltillo Sarape Mexican equestr ianism. In the first decades Saltillo sarapes, worn by affluent Mexicans after the Conqu est, Spaniards had enforced and widely u·aded throughout Mexico, made laws that prohibited anyone of non-European a lasting impression on a number of other descent from riding a horse. As a result, textiles. The Saltillo style was incorporated horses quickly came to be associated witl1 a into sarapes woven throughout Mexico, privileged upper class. Even the word Central America and into the present-day "caba llero " incorporated botl1 tl1e ideas of southwestern United States. It is espec ially "gentleman " and "horseman " in a single apparent in the wearing blankets from the term , while the word for common laborer, Rio Grande Valley in nolthern New Mexico "pe6n ," implied a "man on foot." Skill in and southern Colorado. Here the design riding was a prime requisite of tl1e colonial system was adapted to heavier textiles more gentleman and equestrian showmanship was suited to the colder climate of this region. an integral palt of celebrations held by tl1e Examples of the better-known Navajo aristocracy of New Spain. weaving tradition, notably the Sarape and With the opening of the mining distJ-icts Eye-dazzler styles, also show their kinship and tl1e establishment of huge sheep and with Saltillo sarapes. TI1e Navajos adopted cattle ranches in the no1thern provinces , tl1e the use of the upright loom and celtain prohibition against non-Spaniards riding decorative conventions , such as sin1ple horses was no longer practical. Vaqueros and stripes on a broad horizontal field, from muleteers , regardless of descent, logged their more sedentary neighbors, the Pueblo thousands of miles in the saddle. Their skill Indians. From the Hispanic settlers in the in riding soon became prodigious and the American Southwest, the Navajos acquired Spanish hegemony over horsemansh ip was sheep and a new array of design elements, challenged and abolished. Before long, a including a veltical design format, and per­ hardy , independent and highly mobile class Saltillo Sarape, 1800-1860, wool on cotton, haps an emp hasis on tapesuy weave as well. of tl1ese horsemen had developed. Besides 92" x 47", collection Mark and LerinWinter, Beginning in 1864, the Navajos were Santa Fe, N.M. evolving new types of saddles , spurs and conf ined in captivity at Folt Sumner (also other equipage that suited their spec ial known as Bosque Redondo) , where they needs, tl1ey also gave rise to a distinctive expe rienced deprivation and hardship for mode of dress , which included leather chaps , four long years. At one point , in an attempt wide-brimmed hats and sarapes. Pe1fectly to ame liorate the situation , the United States suited for life on horseback, the sarape served gove rnment authorized the delive1y of 4,000 as all-weathe r cloak, bedroll and colorful blankets, to be purchased in the Rio Grande saddle trapping. Those who could afford Valley, for the captives. Of tl1e 1,000 blankets them bought the luxurious and highly prized tl1at probably arrived at tl1e folt, many must sarapes. Perhaps more than a few were won have utilized the Saltillo design system, such from gamblers who invested in quality sarapes as concentric diamonds and serrated zigzags , before leaving the Saltillo fair in October . for tl1e Navajo women were soon incorporat­ In its own time, the Saltillo sarape was ing iliem into tl1eir own weaving. widely acclaimed for the brilliance of its Modern derivatives of the Saltillo design colors, harmony of design and exce llence of system can even be discerned in sarapes , weave. A number of questions remain to be dyed in bright aniline colors, offered for sale answered conce rning tl1e histo1y of tl1ese in shops from Oaxaca to Tijuana . colonial garments and the textiles that influenced them and were, in turn, influ­ Tbe Sarape as Symbol enced by tl1em. It is hoped tl1at the sarapes Among tl1e materials woven into later sarapes included in tl1is exhibit will lead not only to were aniline-dyed yarns, which added an a fuller appreciation of a truly exu·aordina1y entirely new palette of hues . Silk, gold and examp le of tl1e weaver's alt, but to a better silver metallic tl1reads and variegated woo l und erstand ing of the processes affecting yarns we re used to create subtle shadings of individual creativity and the nature of a color, a substitute for the same effect formerly changing alt fo1m in a palticular social setting. ach ieved by ilie dexterous manipulation of Essay exce,pted and edited from The Saltillo separate color zones. The sin1plification and Sarape, Paula Mariejuelke , Santa Barbara commercia lization of sarapes was partly Museum of Art, 1978, (courtesy New World Ans prompted by requests from merchants who and Mark Winter) frequented fairs and sought to buy in large Cover: Saltillo Sarape, 1800-1860, wool on cotton, quantities. One other factor, however , is Saltillo Sarape, 1800-1860, wool on cotton, 79" x 54", collection Mark and Lerin Winter, undoubtedly significant in the increased 96" x 52", cou,tesy private collection, St. Louis,Mo. Santa Fe, N.M.