San Juan Sacatepequez Traditional Corte #1

Traditional San Juan corte with very fine randa
Most of the skirts or cortes used by the Maya women of Guatemala are made on treadle looms in the large textile-producing villages of the western highlands of southern Guatemala. Certain designs are village-specific, but it is now more common for the woman to choose a skirt fabric which suits her personal aesthetic. Some skirts are also made in the particular village for use in that village. As used, the two ends of long panels 35-50 inches wide are seamed together to form a tube. The woman steps inside this tube and folds the material in a complicated manner to form the skirt.

This skirt is a traditional corte from San Juan Sacatepequez. The panel width of 39 inches was formed by joining two narrow panels with a decorative randa stitch; this wide panel was then formed into a tube, with the two ends being joined with the same randa. The resulting tube in 71 inches long, of double thickness. The sides of the cloth are very nicely selvage-finished. Overall size as seen is 39 inches wide and 71 inches long, of double thickness. The weave is weft-faced plain weave of solid black cotton cloth with fine white lines running in both directions. This garment is heavy and somewhat stiff, and the randa stitch is particularly fine. In the photos below, the second is a closeup of the first, showing the cruciform intersection of the randas.

Condition: very good, lightly used but presenting no noticeable flaws except light wear and some slight soil.