Aguas Calientes Wedding Huipil
Photograph by Travis Doering and Chelsea Blackmore
This lovely and elaborate huipil was woven as a wedding present. The weaver, pictured to the right, wove this garment for her sister's wedding. Although the weavers of Aguas Calientes are known for their skill, it is evident that this huipil was woven with extra-special care and attention.
The weave is especially tight and fine. The huipil itself is bigger than a garment meant for everyday wear. This is common to many ceremonial huipils from villages all over Guatemala. The zipper in the center of the huipil is used as a change purse and general catch-all. It also is a marker of social status; only the elite of the village wear huipils with zippers.The elaborate birds are based on cross-stitch patterns from the U.S.; the weaver adapts the pattern to weaving by counting four warp threads for every X on the pattern. The colorful birds are macaws and quetzals. Scattered amongst the birds are small red shrimp. Although the village of Aguas Calientes is far from the ocean, fresh shrimp are brought up from the Pacific coast.
Mixed among the birds are small orange diamonds that symbolize volcanoes. The long line of diamonds running across the shoulders of the huipil represent all the volcanoes of Guatemala; the small groups of three diamonds represent the three volcanoes surrounding the village. Located above and below the groups of three volcanoes are large hills. These are also depictions of the volcanos of Aguas Calientes. These two hills represent the volcanos Agua and Fuego. Fuego ("fire") is a live volcano. Agua ("water") is an extinct volcano that has turned into a crater lake. In 1543, an enormous earthquake cracked the side of Agua, sending a flood of water into the valley below. The flood destroyed the second capitol of Spanish Guatemala, Santiago de los Caballeros.