Rare look at stunning Mayan quilts on hand in San Jose
Once upon a time in Guatemala, you could tell the precise village a Mayan resident lived in by the clothes they wore.
Such site-specific fashion design is but a long-ago notion in the age of globalism, but a new exhibit at San Jose’s Museum of Quilts and Textiles serves up a collection of trajes, or traditional clothing, from various Mayan communities in Guatemala. The exhibit also includes more contemporary fashions and explores the reasons and results of fashion evolution in that South American country.
Fascinating as the subject matter is, though, the star of the exhibit is the brightly colored, intricately designed items of clothing on displaying, dating from the early 20th century to contemporary times.
The exhibit, titled “Mayan Traje: Tradition in Transition,” features items from the Ixchel Museum in Guatemala.
Details: Through Oct. 13; 520 South 1st St., San Jose; hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; $6.50-$8; 408-971-0323, www.sjquiltmuseum.org.