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Mailing List ~ Newsletter>
Cortes
July 1, 2004
CORTES
Corte is the Spanish word meaning "cut", as in a cut (or
length) of cloth. The Mayan women of Guatemala use the
word "corte" in place of skirt (which can also be referred
to as falda, refajo or morga). This cut of cloth, is worn,
wrapped around the waist and then secured with a sash.
Most cortes are worn from mid-calf to floor length, the
length is determined by the customs of each particular
village, and in some areas can even indicate marital
status. Some are so long they must be wrapped more than
one time around the waist, as many as 4 times.
Some cortes consist of 2 long panels which have been
fastened together along all seams with decorative
embroidery referred to as a "randa". Many times the style
of randa and the way it is worn depends on village custom
or the use of the skirt. To make a randa is very time
consuming, as it is most often sewn by hand. Some villages
are known for their elaborate randas, such as; Santo
Domingo Xenacoj, Chichicastenango and Solola.
Most cortes are woven using cotton. In cooler highland
areas such as Chichicastenango it is not uncommon to find
wool in the weave. Synthetic fibers and also rayon have
been used in Guatemalan weaving since the 1930's. As a
rule, the colors in most of today's cortes come from the
use of commercial dyes. The German red is highly prized
among weavers. Natural dyes such as indigo and cochineal
are rarely seen, though there is a movement in some areas
attempting to reintroduce these and other natural dyes.
A majority of the cortes in Guatemala are hand woven on
foot powered floor looms. Most are woven in 2 different
towns. The double ikat style cortes are predominantly
produced in Salcaja, a small town outside of
Quetzaltenango. The town of San Miguel Totonicapan
produces many cortes as well; many of these are more
colorful and include bold stripes. There are some areas
which produce village specific cortes such as the finely
woven red skirts of Nebaj and Chajul, the smaller
denim-like shirts of Palin, the yellow silky skirts of San
Pedro, San Marcos, the twill patterning from Almolonga, and
the black & red checked skirts of San Andres Semetabaj.
Though the above mentioned cortes are handmade on a large
floor loom, there are still some areas which produce
backstrap woven cortes. Most notably are those from the
department of Huehuetenango; such as Colotenango, San
Rafael Petzal and Ixtahuacan. These backstrap woven cortes
are fine examples of the weaving process which dates back
to pre-Hispanic times.
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