Up Home » Hueyapan, Puebla, Mexico Slideshow

Hueyapan , Puebla is a very traditional Nahuatown and county. There is both traditional costume and commercial variation. The weavers and embroiderers here make both shawls and quechquemitls of wool / wool synthetic blends with chemical or natural dyes. The traditional blouse is a running stitch with a pleated sleeve. The belt is a double weave made on a backstrap loom. The wool wrap skirt is replaced by a black skirt or a stain type skirt. Most women that use the traditional costume also use a overblose with pleats on the front plate of the blouse. During the two days I visited the region I found the people very willing to talk and explain two very important histories. The cousin on Montezuma , fled the Aztec capital and took refuge in a nearby town and eventually in a cave. The local Nahua people hide this prince until his passing. The granddaughter of Montezuma , fled to Hueyapan and was concealed in the town, married a local person and has left her heritage of royal Aztec blood in the town. I can tell you it is very rare to hear this type of story. It is the foundation of a town true to it's roots.

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This is one on the styles of the traditional blouse.The pleated sleeve is one of the most distinguishing characteristics. Esta es una de las blusa tradicionales.
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This is a traditional Over blouse still used by at least two generations.
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The quechquemitl is woven both on Spanish looms and cackstrap looms, They can be made from 100% wool a wool / acrylic blend or 100% acry;ic thread. The embroidery can also be the same mix of threads, usually the price tells the story. However there is also a growing number of people that are using natural dyes as well.
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The back strap woven belt are and intergal part of the traditional costume. These examples are solid colors but I have also seen two color belts as well.
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This bag is 100% cotton, bags similar to these are used in the communities , I also saw ixtle bags worn by men.
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This is an older traditional wool skirt with embroidery. It is an evolution from a qrap skirt, I was told that it just took to long to put on a wrap skirt. It is pleated and then sewn into a skirt.
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Young woman wearing the traditional costume of her grandmother. Notice the hand pleated wrap skirt with the red "chickens foot" embroidery and the fantastic blouse.
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The mother and father Miguel Anselmo and Modesta Basillio Prado have a store near the center of town, they sell these types of handicrafts and other wonderful pieces the Street is Calle ocampo # 95 , centro , Hueyapan Puebla as of 4/09 the phone number is 231 311-0671
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Full view of traditional costume in the families back yard.
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Modesta with her daughter.
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Modesta on the left is wearing the tradional day to day dress , the skirts are also now made from a colorful solid stain like material.
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Workshop were the family colors to wool with natural and synthetic dyes.
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Tradional kitchem with matate on the left and wood burning stove and comal .
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Hueyapn is proud of its heritage and has been working improvements of infrasturcture. Most streets are paved the town has been electrified for some time. There are bi lingual schools Nahuatl and Spanish
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Market day in the square.
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Im preperation for the festival a bed of flowers extends from the street into the church.
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In the front of the church near the alter the images of the Virgin Maria are dressed in traditional Nahua clothing .
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A close up of the path of flowers going to the alter.
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Making "flores de chucaritas" these decorations are used in many indigenous villages they are made using a basic weaving technique. The hisory of this arrangement would make a great study for an anthropolgist project. I have seen them as far north as the Cora in Nayarit.
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This is last years
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here you can see that the municipality is working hard , new pavement in the foreground and the road off into the distance is paved.
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There is a collective in town where weavers can leave there products to sell. The first time I visited the collective in the last 1990's it was small and dark, now it is in a wonderful building on the cornor of the square and has lots of goods for sale. This quecquemitl is but one of many.
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Inside the Textile collective , the Spanish looms are in the background.
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Spanish loom
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Mountains of shawls or rebosos are available.
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These pieces are some of the more traditional designs both contain the tree of life , which is a hall mark for the Hueyapn shawls.
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Center for Health
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preparing the floral path.
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preparing the floral path.
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preparing the floral path.
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People work in community during the festivals.
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The handicraft collective
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Main street of Hueyapan, Puebla
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The mother of Modesta Bascillo , I believe her name is Petra. She showed me a few generations of costume . Here she is with her husband.
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She gave me a name in Nahuatl " mountain with snow on top" because I am tall and my hair is greying.
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Traditional shawl and ribbons in her hair tied off with the ribbon.
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Astounding table cloth she made.
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Details from the table cloth fronm thelower left cornor to the middle is part of the tree of life embroidery pattern.
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Here we can see an older style blouse with a rounded neck and lace.
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I love finding old pieces , she said that she worked on this when she was a childs. The base material is Ixtle made from the agave plant.
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The oldest of her daughters dress with her day to day skirt and blouse.
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A small side road at the edge of town.
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Floral offering gooing into the church.
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the carpet of flowers going into the church.
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Young girl in traditional costume and the boy with his Yankees baseball hat.
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The mass the day of the festival.
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The procession winds its way around town , with the dancers and music in front.
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One of the dancers
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quetzal dancers
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Quetzal dancers are part of almost all festivals in the northern sierra of Puebla. Hueyapan is located the the extreme southern slope of these mountains which are part of the eastern sierra madre of Mexico.
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