Woven Tapestry

Year Photographed: 1995

Origin: Guatemala

Native Language: Quiche Mayan

This is one of the finest examples of Guatemalan weaving that I've ever seen. Each village produces its own unique colors of thread. It is not uncommon to find the rooftops in the villages painted the same colors. The Ancient Maya used a large variety of natural dyes. The indigo plant produced blue, and the cochineal insect produced the red. The cochineal red was used to make the famed British red coats that were used during the Revolutionary War. They extracted the color purple from sea snails. Also, other colors were found in minerals, vegetables, and from different types of finely chopped wood.