Programs

serapeThe Center for Mexican American Cultural Arts (CMACA), Inc. presented their fourth annual Saltillo on Cinco cultural festival. Promoting social and artistic links between Sister Cities Saltillo, Mexico and Austin, Texas, CMACA offers this pioneering sarape weaving demonstration by weaver Jannette Fuller Pamanes with a historical presentation by Reynaldo Rodríguez. It is our hope that this weaving demonstration will plant the seed for a sarape weaving guild.

The Serape:

In a catalogue of Saltillo serapes from the classic period (eighteenth to midnineteenth century) critic James Jeter wrote that the artistic expression of the Saltillo serape is unique and incomparable to any other in that the manipulation of color and design creates a threedimensional effect. There are three components to the serape: the fringe, background, and the central pattern. This design is not found in any other textile product in the Western hemisphere, without having been influenced by the serape.

Not much is known about the history of the serape. Even elemental information like the origin of the design or the identities of the earliest artisans or the owner of the first looms or their location, is all subject to speculation.

It is accepted, however, that this article of clothing is not native to the territory of Mexico but is a product that combines both indigenous and Spanish elements. A few archeological findings in the north of Mexico offer some evidence of early textiles but the principal fountain of inspiration came from the south with the arrival of the Tlaxcaltecas. Not much is known about the textiles of the tlaxcaltecas before the arrival of the Spanish but it is known that a weaving tradition existed using cotton and other plant-based threads and yarn. By the end of the sixteenth century, the wool industry, introduced by the Spanish, had blossomed. Its arrival north, accompanied by European weavers, could have been the origin of the serape, which incorporated designs from the natives of that region.

In the seventeenth century, the Saltillo market was known as the most important one in the north of Mexico. Due to Saltillo’s location and its distance from major ports and Mexico City, as well as the great number of middle men and taxes involved, the prices of the merchandise at the market were very high. Serapes were not the exception, in fact, that they skyrocketed. Collectors, as well as vendors who would resell the serapes in other cities, paid a lot of money to own these serapes. At the end of the classic period for the Saltillo serape, and of the eighteenth century, comes the beginning of the battle for independence from Spain. After Mexico achieves independence, the serape becomes a national symbol for the country.

Reynaldo Rodríguez Cortés is the director of Urban Development for the state of Coahuila, Mexico and the city of Saltillo. He currently participates in the promotion and construction of the Museo del Carbón in Sabinas Coahuila and advocates for the construction of a Museo de la Angostura. He has written several articles regarding the Mexican-American War of 1846–1847. Rodríguez was born in Sabinas, Coahuila, Mexico, on November 17, 1945. His father was a Tejano who was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1914. For this reason, Rodríguez has always been interested in Texas history. He hopes that through education, any cultural barriers that divide the states of Coahuila and Texas will eventually disappear. Rodríguez has participated in the Saltillo on Cinco presentations to the children of Sanchez Elementary since 2002.