In octacatl, in machiyōtl: samplers of virtue and integrity

DECHADOS DE VIRTUD Y ENTEREZA

Sampler Sampler (1870) by Ángela CarrascoMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

A few years after the Spanish conquest, Andrés de Olmos gathered proverbs and sayings as examples of graceful language, so that other evangelists could learn to speak Nahuatl with eloquence. He found that certain parts of the loom served to represent order and harmony in human relations. The tenter (octacatl), which keeps the width of the weaving steady, and the heddle (xiōtl), which controls the warp threads, were mentioned time and again in the old indigenous couplets. Cited together with the loom sticks was the sampler (machiyōtl), a woven pattern chart which guides an artist to create designs that are complex and beautiful. In the ancient oral tradition, loom and sampler became images of good fellowship.

Sampler Sampler (Probablemente últimas décadas del siglo XIX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler Sampler (1848/1848) by Rosa OlarteMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler Sampler (1852/1852) by Eulalia GaviñoMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler Sampler (1865/1865) by Herlinda Rivera y OjedaMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler Sampler (Probablemente primera mitad del siglo XIX) by María SoledadMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Thanks to the generosity of the Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú, the MTO has put together one of the most important collections of this genre. It includes, among other extraordinary pieces, an early sampler of embroidery and drawn work inscribed in Nahuatl, which attests to the appropriation of European techniques by Mesoamerican textile artists. We also display a piece of fabric dating from the 19th century where the embroiderer added visual riddles to complete her verses about love and detachment from worldly concerns. The cross-stitched phrases on that sampler echo the words of wisdom transcribed by Olmos three hundred years earlier.

Sampler Sampler (Probablemente segunda mitad del siglo XIX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

“En este [pozo] se halla // Un [corazón] que ha sufrido // De amor la [cadena] dura // Y la [flecha] del olbido --------------------------------------------------- [Corazón] Si te consuela // El [mundo] con sus anto // jos [Corazón] abre los ojos // Mira el [mundo] como [estrella] ----------------------------------------------- Cuando [corona] el amor // A dos [corazones] fieles // Una [llave] los maneja // Y una [flecha] los sostiene”

Small sampler Small sampler (Probablemente finales del siglo XIX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Servilleta (cloth for tortillas) or alter cloth Servilleta (cloth for tortillas) or alter cloth (Circa 1940) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler Sampler (Probablemente mediados del siglo XIX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler Sampler (Siglo XIX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler conveted into a small bag Sampler conveted into a small bag (Circa 1960) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

In addition to the samplers, the exhibit incorporates a series of quesquémeles (a closed cape-like women’s garment), blouses, napkins and bags where an inspiration in the samplers is evident. Figures that were executed with rigidity on school embroidery projects dated between 1840 and 1890 often appear modified or reinterpreted in utilitarian textiles, as if the proportions of a classical sculpture were adapted to a different taste in the hands of a local stone carver. The samplers themselves fostered the development of a uniquely Mexican style, where the logic of the pattern book as a hodgepodge of designs for the sake of reference was extended to entire garments, distinguished by their diversity and eclecticism.

Costal (tortilla bag) Costal (tortilla bag) (Circa 1940) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler converted into a "costal" (tortilla bag) Sampler converted into a "costal" (tortilla bag) (Circa 1940) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Costal (tortilla bag) Costal (tortilla bag) (Circa 1950) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler Sampler (Probablemente finales del siglo XIX o principios del XX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Skirt hem Skirt hem (Primera mitad del siglo XX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler Sampler (Probablemente finales del siglo XIX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Skirt hem Skirt hem (Primera mitad del siglo XX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Blouse Blouse (1940s) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler Sampler (Primera mitad del siglo XIX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Skirt Skirt (Circa 1940) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Carrillera Carrillera (1960s) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Wax doll Wax doll (Probablemente finales del siglo XIX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Quechquemitl Quechquemitl (Probably 1940s) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Some huipiles from northern Oaxaca, where Chinantec women abandoned the geometric figures that had been woven by their grandmothers in favor of new animals, flowers and trees embroidered into startling random assemblages, can illustrate that style. These examples can serve as a bridge to introduce a second exhibit at the MTO, devoted to the 1960s, when the color scheme on local textiles exploded. Vibrant contrasts between shocking pink, neon green and burning orange brought backstrap looms into close kinship with the urban fashions of that decade.

Sampler Sampler (Probablemente finales del siglo XIX o principios del XX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Fragment of a textile for a bed Fragment of a textile for a bed (18th century) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Embroidered fragment that seems to have formed part of a hem for a skirt Embroidered fragment that seems to have formed part of a hem for a skirt (Probably first half of the 19th century) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler Sampler (Finales siglo XIX o principios del XX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Shoulder bag Shoulder bag (Circa 1940) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler of designs for blouse Sampler of designs for blouse (segunda mitad del siglo XX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Blouse Blouse (Probably 1950s) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Blouse Blouse (1968/1968) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Sampler Sampler (1881/1881) by Concepción ArceMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

By holding side by side two dissimilar shows, which may seem to contradict each other at first glance, we aim to induce reflection among visitors to the Museum. The poetic sophistication of metaphors recorded in Nahuatl in the sixteenth century, the technical virtuosity of embroidery samplers dating from the eighteen hundreds, and the chromatic stridency of huipiles made in the sixties may be viewed as parts of a sequence: they bear witness to the creativity and continuous blooming of Mexican cultures.

Credits: Story

Curaduría y textos: Alejandro de Ávila
Museografía: Hector Meneses
Conservación y restauración: Mariana Almaraz, Laura Santiago
Montaje: Mariana Almaraz, Laura Santiago, Eva Romero, Marco Aguilera, Julián Guzmán, Manuel Matías, Víctor Robles

Acervo: Eva Romero, Marco Aguilera
Diseño gráfico: Abraham Hernández
Administración y Contabilidad: Sara Cué, Verónica Luna
Servicios Educativos: Eric Chávez, Adriana Sabino, Lorena De la Piedra
Difusión: Salvador Maldonado
Tienda: Soledad Mendoza
Mantenimiento: Consuelo Cuevas, Julián Guzmán, Manuel Matías, Víctor Robles
Fotografía: Fidel Ugarte

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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