Costumes of Mexico

History

Sayer, Chloë

Americas

University of Texas Press

by chloe sayer1985contents includeacknowledgementschronologyintroduction1~ costume before the conquest~ central mexico, the gulf coast, the maya~ oaxaca, guerrero and the aztec empire2. the post-conquest heritage~ costume in new spain 1521-1821independence and after 1821-19173 ~ 20th century mexico~ fibres, spinning and dyeing~ weaving embroidery and other decorative techniques~ contemporary male dress~ contemporary female dressconclusionappendix 1 ~ the backstrap loomappendix 2 ~ weaving techniquesappendix 3 ~ embroidery stitchesglossarybibliographyindex

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

Univ of Texas Pr

Mexico has a vast range of annual festivals; several commemorate national events, but most are religious or spiritual in inspiration. After the Spanish Conquest of 1521, Roman Catholic teachings fused with the beliefs of native civilizations, so that even today the popular arts and crafts draw upon the Church as a rich source of imagery and a catalyst for creativity. Fiestas are often lavish and extremely costly. With extensive preparations, they commemorate local saints' days and religious holidays such as Christmas, Carnival, and Holy Week. Many festivals are dominated by masked dances, with the devil, death, angels, and the deadly sins doing battle at fiesta time in countless village squares. During the Days of the Dead (All Saints' and All Souls' days, November 1 and 2), the deceased are thought to visit friends and relatives on earth. Families welcome the returning souls with flowers, incense, candles, and feasting. On December 12, Mexicans everywhere honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico and an important symbol of national unity. Drawing on her extensive travels in Mexico and the wide-ranging collections of the British Museum, Chloë Sayer gives a contemporary context to these colorful annual celebrations and shows how these festivities are uniquely Mexican. Vivid full-color images of an amazing array of objects, plus photos of people making and using them to celebrate an intriguing variety of local festivities, illustrate the text.

Fiesta: Days of the Dead & Other Mexican Festivals

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

All over Mexico, early in November, families gather to welcome the souls of the dead on their annual visit home. The smells of burning copal incense and pungent cempasúchil (marigolds) mingle with the aromas of fresh bread, new clothing, sweets, and candles. One of Mexico's most important festivals since prehispanic times, the Day of the Dead is an occasion for celebrating and feasting, cleaning and decorating graves, dancing and making music.
In this unique work, the authors explore both the historic origins of this holiday and its colorful present-day celebrations in Mexico and the United States. Interviews with Mexican artists and crafters who provide goods for the festival—from personalized sugar skulls to gigantic papier-mâché skeletons—offer a fascinating glimpse into traditional and contemporary attitudes toward death and the dead.
Lavishly illustrated with color and black-and-white photographs, The Skeleton at the Feast will be required reading for all who are interested in Mexican culture, art, and folklore.

The Skeleton at the Feast: The Day of the Dead in Mexico

Carmichael, Elizabeth

Mexican textiles have a vitality that is unsurpassed elsewhere in the Americas. The arts of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery are practiced in hundreds of rural communities where indigenous people retain distinctive clothing styles. Their sense of design and color is dazzling and in many cases native traditions, such as Mayan or Mixtec, are coupled with postcolonial influences to fabulous effect. 
 Over 20 such pieces from the British Museumís vast collections have been photographed and explored in detail for this book. They range from a nineteenth-century rebozo, or shawl, made for a wealthy landowner to everyday pieces such as a huipil from Oaxaca. Anyone interested in textiles and design will find a wealth of inspiration in this book, and the detailed photographs will reveal unexpected nuances of pattern-making. 
 Drawing on her extensive travels in Mexico, Chloe Sayer provides a living context for these varied textiles. Techniques and clothing styles are explained, and brief commentaries highlight the key features that make the designs so eye-catching and uniquely Mexican.

Textiles from Mexico (Fabric Folios)

University of Washington Press

Describes the historical background and the main traditions of Mexico's colorful folk crafts and provides instructions and patterns for specific projects

Crafts of Mexico

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Crafts & Hobbies

DOUBLEDAY

Describes the historical background and the main traditions of Mexico's colorful folk crafts and provides instructions and patterns for specific projects

Crafts of Mexico (Crafts of the world)

Aldus Books

The charm and humor of Mexican folk art have made it among the most popular in the world, and this lavishly photographed volume will appeal to aficionados of collectible folk art everywhere. Complete with full-color photography of native crafts and vivid portraits of the Mexican people and their lifestyles, The Arts and Crafts of Mexico combines in-depth text and beautiful images into a treasury of myriad indigenous art forms. Among the items covered are brilliant textiles from the country's various regions; a great diversity of ceramics, from rough pots to elegant Majolica ware; fabulous jewelry, ranging from whimsical silver earrings featuring alligators and donkeys, to ornately carved necklaces sparkling with colored beads and precious metals; endearing toys painted in vivid colors; woven goods such as baskets, mats, and bags; intricately crafted metalwork; and special decorations made for celebrations and fiestas. A special section features advice on collecting crafts and includes a glossary, bibliography, and "Peoples of Mexico" chart. Colorful and informative, this is the essential companion for travelers who have visited Mexico and fallen in love with local crafts, potential travelers who are planning a trip to the area, or anyone enthralled by the charm and vibrancy of this unique folk art.

Arts and Crafts of Mexico

History & Criticism

Thames and Hudson

All over the world there is a reawakening of interest in local, traditional approaches to architecture. In Mexico, nearly five centuries after the Spanish Conquest, the descendants of the Aztec and the Maya may no longer build pyramids, but their rural dwellings reflect the past in other ways: perfectly adapted to their environment, they incorporate natural materials such as palm for thatching, wattle, stones, adobe bricks and wood. They include an astonishing variety of forms - round, square, rectangular - with roofs that can be conical or pyramidal. In larger villages and mestizo towns, rooms are often grouped around an inner courtyard; eye-catching facades are painted in vibrant colors. A quite different kind of tradition is found in the rural haciendas, long past their Golden Age but now finding new patrons keen to restore or recreate them and their designs. In the 19th century especially, Gothic pointed arches, medieval battlements and Moorish minarets were transposed to Mexican landscapes of agave and prickly pear. Luxuriant gardens, tiles from England and statues from Paris completed the picture. Almost totally self-sufficient, haciendas were the economic backbone of rural Mexico from Conquest to Revolution. With the aid of plans and other historical illustrations, Chloe Sayer traces the story of traditional building and defines in detail the characteristics of architecture both private and public, rural and urban, Indian and colonial. Mariana Yampolsky's glorious photographs represent the summation of a lifetime's work. This is one of those rare books that is both informed and inspirational. The result is also timely: many trained architects are now incorporating natural materials into their buildings and drawing inspiration from popular dwellings. Ironically, the Mexican countryside is itself experiencing a shift towards "modern" materials and forms: these pages are the last record of centuries of tradition.

The Traditional Architecture of Mexico

Yampolsky, Mariana

Architecture

Thames&Hudson

Mexican Patterns: A Design Source Book

Graphic Design

Portland House

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