Sarape

Sarape

A sarape is a colorful garment worn by the people of Mexico.

The traditional sarape is made in the Mexican state of Coahuila in north-eastern Mexico, near the city of Saltillo. The Saltillo sarapes, blankets, and numerous other textile products often consist of a dark ground color–such as brown or black–adorned with bands of yellow, orange, red, blue, green, purple or any other bright colors.The ends of the textile products are usually fringed. New products can be purchased or vintage products collected for their beauty and craftsmanship.The Saltillo textiles are made by local residents of Saltillo. Their descendants trace back to the early Chichimecs, who migrated from northern Mexico (Chihuahua and Casa Grande area) to central Mexico (San Luis Potosi area to the Gulf Coast). In Guatemala, "sarape" refers to a very soft rectangular blanket with an opening in the middle where the wearer inserts her head. Some sarapes are made with matching hoods for head covering. The length varies but front and back normally reach knee height on an average person. Available in various colors and design patterns, the typical colors are two-tone combinations of black, grey, brown, or tan–pertaining to the natural color of the sheep flocks grown in the highland regions, not requiring tint. Most design patterns are large with traditional Mayan motifs. Interestingly, this is not a typical garment for the Mayan highland people, who wear different clothing in cold regions. The sarape is more of an imitation of the Mexican poncho with a Mayan twist and their elaboration is specifically for sales to foreigners or city dwellers who feel attracted to the garment than as a useful warm souvenir of the Guatemalan highlands. The sale of sarapes goes through a broker process, where the Mayan families, who depend mostly upon agricultural work, manufacture small quantities for additional income. The brokers later display the sarapes at a higher price on local markets or the sides of highland roads in improvised huts. (The brokers are normally also Mayan people with intuitive business skills and the money to invest.) The appeal of the sarape may consist in the fact that these are woven by Mayan families, normally women, in their traditional house looms, giving the sarape a "handmade" look.


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  • Sarape — Sarape, s. Fichtenharz …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • sarape — sustantivo masculino 1. Origen: Guatemala, México. Manta de vivos colores y generalmente con una abertura para la cabeza que se emplea como prenda de abrigo …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • sarape — m. Méx. Especie de frazada de lana o colcha de algodón generalmente de colores vivos, con abertura o sin ella en el centro para la cabeza, que se lleva para abrigarse …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • sarape — ☆ sarape [sə rä′pē ] n. var. of SERAPE …   English World dictionary

  • Sarape — Das Zentrale Muster eines Sarape Als Sarape bezeichnet man einen Stoff, der traditioneller Bestandteil der männlichen mexikanischen Tracht ist, jedoch unterschiedliche Funktionen erfüllen kann. Ursprünglich wurde der Sarape um den Körper… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sarape — Motif central d un sarape Un Sarape est une pièce de tissu multicolore ornementale mésoaméricaine. A l origine en laine, cet artisanat a fait la réputation de la ville de Saltillo durant de nombreuses années …   Wikipédia en Français

  • sarape — ► sustantivo masculino México, Guatemala INDUMENTARIA Y MODA Poncho de lana o algodón, por lo general con franjas de colores vivos. * * * sarape (Guat., Méj.) m. *Capote de monte. ≃ Zarape. * * * sarape. m. Méx. Especie de frazada de lana o… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • sarape — {{#}}{{LM S35065}}{{〓}} {{[}}sarape{{]}} ‹sa·ra·pe› {{《}}▍ s.m.{{》}} Prenda de vestir mexicana que consiste en una especie de manta de colores vivos con una abertura en el centro para meter la cabeza …   Diccionario de uso del español actual con sinónimos y antónimos

  • sarape — var. of SERAPE. * * * sarape var. serape …   Useful english dictionary

  • sarape — variant of serape …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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