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New Maya Merchandise available at The CEA Center
Featuring embroidered clothing in traditional and contemporary styles for women, children and men.
First and foremost, many thanks to the ladies of the Maya Chuy, a lovely little shop in Merida, Yucatan, who patiently and gently guided a curious gringa in the right direction as pertains to the information about the iipil and piik.
Iipil (ee-pil) is Quintana Roo Maya for the beautiful traditional embroidered dress that one sees worn throughout the states of Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Campeche, as well as in the country of Guatemala. Piik (pick) refers to the intricately sewn white underskirt which is worn beneath the iipil. These are frequently referred to as ‘hipil’ and ‘fustan’ in other parts of the Yucatan Peninsula. And in Ingles?….a dress and a slip. However, not just any dress and slip.
The following is a direct quote from the book “Na Molay”, English title “Mayan Women First Congress”. Yum ku kanante’ex xunan’ex.
“The tradition of our regional embroidery goes back to our Mayan ancestors; the remnants of very old embroidered fabric have been found in the cenote at Chichen Itza. Beautifully embroidered cloths were sold throughout central Mexico in pre-Columbian times, decorated with a type of hand embroidery that is still common in many parts of the Yucatan and Quintana Roo. The Spanish colonizers subsequently introduced the cross stitch (xoc bi chuy, ‘counted thread’ in Maya) which was adopted by Mayan embroiderers among their most widely used hand embroidery stitches….”
“Embroidery has been and continues to be an important part of our culture, because our clothes have always been embroidered. The iipil (hipil) and the piik (fustan) are always embroidered by hand or machine, so anyone who sees an iipil (hipil) knows it is from the Yucatan Peninsula.”
This CEA collection of clothing comes from several different areas in both the Yucatan and Quintana Roo. All are Maya embroidered, most are Maya made. Some are contemporary, some are traditional. Some were sewn in places with all the amenities – electricity, air-conditioning, running water. And some were sewn by candlelight, on a foot-pumped machine in a palapa somewhere in the monte (jungle). All use the same basic materials: white cotton, patterns, yarn or fancy thread…..as well as creativity, imagination, skill and heart. The proceeds from the sale of these clothes go directly back to the ladies who made them, thus creating a circle that we pray will continue well into the 21st century. Thank you for being part of this circle. Whichever piece you choose, may it bring you joyful memories of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Washing instructions: By hand or machine on ‘gentle cycle’, cool water with non-detergent soap. Hang dry or use the ‘no-heat’ cycle on the dryer.
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