At this school, every graduate helps Mexico's iconic sarape survive
The art of making this garment so associated with Mexico was dying out, so Coahuila officials stepped in
By Leigh Thelmadatter
Published on Saturday, October 22, 2022
One of Mexico’s most iconic garments is in a race against time to avoid extinction: the traditional sarape.
If you’ve ever watched a film in the Western genre or anything historic related to the north of Mexico, you have likely seen these bright, multicolored textile coverings that kept generations of herders and others warm.
Unfortunately, if you have even been in any tourist market, you have seen cheap knock-offs that trivialize the sarape’s cultural and historical importance.
The sarape is the result of a northward push by the Spanish and their indigenous allies after the fall of the Mexica city of Tenochtitlán. Areas like Coahuila were significantly drier than what they were used to in their central Mexican homelands, but Tlaxcaltecos and other Mesoamerican groups nonetheless transplanted much of their way of life here.
sarape and banner of Escuela La Favorita del Sarape school in Saltillo, Mexico
The La Favorita Sarape School’s banner, made as — what else? — a sarape.
The Saltillo sarape of today is likely a modification of a garment called a tilma, a rectangular fabric that was used to wrap around the body and even to carry things. Sarapes are found in both Coahuila and Tlaxcala, and both claim denomination of origin rights over it. Sarapes in Saltillo and in Tlaxcala are similar, but the sarape is more strongly associated with the city of Saltillo. Real sarapes are handwoven on pedal looms with cotton and wool and have brightly colored stripes and large geometric patterns.
More:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/mexicolife/at-sarape-school-graduates-blow-against-extinction/