CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTHWEST GUATEMALA—McBRYDE 65 
warp yarn (pl. 33, a, b, c), (night) wash the 
yarn, cutting the natural oil by boiling it in a 
solution of potassium bichromate (2 oz. in 5 gal. of 
water), and dye; Monday—dry dyed yarn, set up 
creel and’wrap drum, tie warp on loom (pl. 33, d); 
Tuesday—begin to weave, and, if necessary, continue 
spinning, carding, and dyeing of weft yarn (pl. 34, 
b) ; Wednesday—weaving, and possibly more card- 
ing and spinning of weft ; Thursday—(morning) fin- 
ish weaving ordinary blankets by noon (“auiieca” 
blankets require 2 weeks), (afternoon) take blanket 
(or blankets) off loom and felt them (see note above 
and pl. 34) ; Friday—sell blankets at San Francisco 
el Alto market (attended by most Momostecos; pl. 
35), or continue weaving, if no blankets are ready; 
Saturday—prepare any unfinished blankets for Sun- 
day market at Momostenango. Washing, carding and 
spinning activities are performed by both men and 
women. 
Most of the wool consumed by the weaving indus- 
try of Momostenango comes from the great massifs 
to the north (especially from the Chiantla area of the 
Cuchumatanes) and west (largely from the Sierra 
Madre, near Tejutla). It is said that white wool is 
preferred by Momostenango weavers, for there are 
more possibilities in dyeing it than in the case of the 
“black,” which is very dark brown to start with. 
Each wool-weaving center tends to have special- 
ties, and such characteristic products as the black 
blankets, bordered with red and white checks, typical 
of Chichicastenango, or the heavy-checked natural 
black-and-white rodilleras of Nahaula. Both these 
centers produce also natural black woolen goods used 
for capixais and jackets in certain villages, and sold 
on a large scale at Solola. Many types of wool cloth 
are woven by Huehuetenango Ladinos. 
Peyones.—These shaggy wool rugs are so called 
probably from their resemblance to a sheepskin 
(old Spanish vellon). The manufacture of peyones is 
confined to the Aldea Obotén, at about 2,600 m. 
(8,530 ft.) elevation in the municipio of San Sebas- 
tian Coatan (pl. 37). Here, on top of a high, grassy 
ridge, usually shrouded in wind-driven mountain fog, 
three brothers and their families engage in this work. 
To my knowledge there are no other weavers of 
peyones in Guatemala. Miguel Sebastian B., aided 
by his younger brother, uncle, and father, is the chief 
producer, turning out 12 peyones per month in addi- 
tion to a few blankets and capixais. Their three 
treadle looms are like those of Momostenango, Hue- 
654162—47. 6 
huetenango, and other wool-weaving centers. One 
loom is under a porchlike shelter adjacent to the 
largest of the three dwellings; the other two are out 
in the open near the house (pl. 37, a). Their wool 
comes mainly from Santa Eulalia, though they have 
some sheep of their own. Miguel, about 24 years old, 
was taught by his father to make peyones, and recalls 
that his grandfather also made them. 
Peyones are woven in the same manner as any other 
wool cloth, except that the third weft thread is pulled 
out with the fingers into a loop about 6 inches long, 
between every 3 warp threads, as in'terry cloth. 
These loops are gathered and twisted in bunches of 
10 or 12, then later, after the rug is all woven, the 
bunches are cut, one at a time with a pocket knife, so 
that loose ends, about 3 inches long, are left (pl. 37, 
b, d). Solid whites, solid black (natural brown), 
and other large patterns combining the two, are the 
usual colors. Elements of the simple designs are 
usually not under 1 foot square. 
The two other brothers of Miguel produce usually 
about 6 peyones per month. All three households are 
within about a quarter-mile of each other. 
WOOL DYEING 
“Black” (dark blue).—The most important black 
dye is logwood palo de campeche (or palo de tinte, 
Haematoxylum capechianum) which comes mainly 
from the Petén and British Honduras, generally 
bought by itinerant Momostenango blanket mer- 
chants in the market of San Pedro Carcha, near 
Coban, and often resold in the Momostenango plaza, 
along with other dyes (pl. 34, c). The wood, which 
becomes dark red upon exposure to air, is sold by the 
pound. Splintered and boiled in water to produce the 
dye, it is used chiefly on white wool, and sometimes 
also on natural black. Standley (1920-26, p. 419) 
states that it is “one of the few natural dyewoods 
which has not yet been replaced satisfactorily by syn- 
thetic dyess 52+ 
Copper sulfate, 1 ounce to 5 pounds of wool (5 ° 
pounds avoirdupois = 1 wool “pound”’), is some- 
times added to the solution in order to fix the color, 
and, according to some informants, to darken it. 
Sometimes, campeche and brasil wood are added in 
equal proportions; or campeche may be mixed with 
indigo. 
101 The heartwood of ‘‘campeche’”’ is, according to Standley, the com- 
mercial logwood, which, with mahogany, was a major basis for British 
settlements in Central America. Standley (1930, p. 288). 
