Tenangos in the Puebla house

The region that inhabits the Otomí indigenous culture between the states of Puebla and Hidalgo, is the territory where the textiles called tenangos are made. This style of embroidery has three characteristics: the color of the threads, the recreation of fantastic figures and its crowded distribution along the canvas. Rectangular tablecloth with embroidery called de tenango from the Otomí region.

The tenango embroidery originated in the sixties of the 20th century, after a series of natural and social events that affected the Otomí region and that gave way to a precarious economic situation that affected the inhabitants of the town of Tenango de Doria. Women from the master embroiderers community, in addition to making the region's traditional blouses, sought another alternative to selling their work by starting to produce less time-consuming embroidery.

There are some versions over the origin of the designs depicted on the canvases. The first has its origin in images found in the hills near the community of Tenango, which can be very varied, the motifs of animals, plants and flowers predominate, in a fantastic way.  Various motifs stand out on this tablecloth: the eagle over the nopales (prickly pears) devouring the serpent, the rooster and the deer.

Set of four individual tablecloths for the table. On these tablecloths, the pieces are given a final finish by making a hem around all the edges, or an overlock seam is applied using the sewing machine.

Individual tablecloth with overlock finish, ideal for sharing with a rich cup of coffee.

Set of four individual tablecloths for the table with multicolored 
designs. 

A very demanding piece are the table runners used to decorate the table or a long piece of furniture. These runners have a vertical symmetry in the layout of the drawings. Normally a flower or plant with several branches occupies the center of the runner and from there animal figures are spread out that are fit in symmetrically on each side. Some table runners are given an additional finish by adding a colored cloth border along the edge.

The region including the Otomí indigenous group is shared by the states of Puebla and Hidalgo. For geopolitical reasons it was divided territorially, but today they remain a single cultural region. In the State of Puebla, the tenangos are made in San Pablito and the Xochimilco common land in the city of Pahuatlán. Some tenango pieces are made to make cushions with single-motif designs with animal figures or characters representing human activities.

In the state of Hidalgo, the tenangos are made in the communities and common land of the city of Tenango de Doria: The common land of Santa Monica, Linda Vista, El Damo, San Nicolas, La Cruz de Tenango, the suburb of San José, San Pablo el Grande, El Tranche, La Loma, La Joya, El Dixoy and El Tuxtay.

Another color scheme used in the tenangos are the tenangos of four colors, like this beautiful table runner in dried green, ochre, black and wine with designs of peacocks, armadillos, deer and other birds. It has a vertical fit and symmetry.

Some large tenangos, like this beautiful single-color tablecloth for a table, have a fit that does not follow a pattern, but that when looked at in detail, you can see the mastery of the illustrator in completing the overloaded design of the piece.

Picture for the wall with a nationalist motif of an eagle hovering over the nopales (prickly pears) and devouring the snake. Some recurring animals in this type of pictures are chameleons, rabbits, fish, butterflies, thrushes and pigeons.

Some large tenangos as in this table runner present the design of a large branch that crosses the entire piece from end to end with flowers of numerous shapes and colors. Figures such as magpies, pheasants, deer, butterflies and reptiles fit throughout the piece.

Rectangular table cover with birds and flowers. In some pieces the fit of animals and flowers that make up the design is amazing. There are no empty spaces and this demonstrates the differences in ancient pieces of the 1960s and 1970s, in which free spaces were more frequent.

Other sizes of the tenangos are the small pictures that serve as cupholders for placing drinks on the table.  The designs are of a single figure and smaller in size.

Table runner with peacock and flowers designs. The great diversity of colors used in the creation of a tenango makes it a great multicolored textile feast.

The objects placed on the tenangos allow diners' tables to be decorated.

Rectangular table cover. The central motif is a beautiful, colorful dog, from which flowers sprout and embellish the garden.

Beautiful detail of the figures of this single-color tablecloth. Objects made with vegetable fibers stand out when placed on the table, as they allow you to recognize the utilitarian character of these objects.