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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 13 



Fringe is short at one end, and adjacent warps, often 

 pairs, are simply twisted or knotted ; on one specimen, the 

 fabric has been overcast to prevent raveling. At the other 

 end, where the weaving terminates, the fringe is longer 

 and receives more attention, occasionally approaching 

 that of the mantel in elaborate knotting. 



A couple of old specimens made by Luz Valencia are 

 simply knotted at one end. At the other, weaving alter- 

 nates with one or more bands of loose, unwoven warps 

 (pi. 30, h), which form a decorative border. On the il- 

 lustrated specimen, the loose warps have been caught to 

 the fabric by a stitch similar to our hemstitching, to pre- 

 vent raveling. 



Coladeras (pu-^ikin, p\-sikin). — Tsese are essentially 

 utilitarian articles, either rectangular or approximately 

 square. Measurements, in centimenters, of four purchased 

 specimens are: 37 by 49, 38 by 49, 42 by 48, 46 by 55. 

 Weaving deliberately is open and coarse (pi. 30, a). 

 Again, brown and white lint may be combined to give a 

 mottled effect, or a few rows of colored embroidery thread 

 are used at each end as weft. As usual, the fringe is 

 short at one end, longer at the other ; the latter is knotted, 

 but quite simply. 



MATERIALS 



Until recent years, the native perennial cotton, 

 of both brown and white lint, was used exclusively 

 for weaving. The brown lint, incidentally, is not 

 fast color, and after repeated laundering turns a 

 light beige. 



With the fingers, seeds are removed from the 

 bolls ; in particular, care is taken to extract the tip 

 of the seed, where the fiber is united, otherwise the 

 thread will break as it is spun. The cotton then 

 is fluffed between the hands and beaten. The fol- 

 lowing accounts of the latter treatment are from 

 description ; we have not witnessed the process. 



According to Josefina Perez, once the seeds are removed, 

 the lint is spread on a woven mat, which lies on top of 

 dry banana leaves. With a light wooden wand in each 

 hand, the cotton is beaten until it becomes light and 

 fluffy. It then is doubled and beaten again, successively. 



Maria Loreto gives a similar description. Dry banana 

 leaves are extended carefully on the ground. On top, is 

 placed a woven mat, and on top of it, the cotton. The 

 latter then is beaten with great care, to avoid packing; 

 in time, the cotton spreads until it corresponds to the form 

 and size of the mat. It then is doubled in half and is 

 beaten anew, following which it is folded once more and 

 again is beaten. This process is continued until the fiber 

 forms a small bale. For some obscure reason, at the end 

 of the treatment, the cotton is supposed to emerge iu the 

 form of a long, continuous strand, about 3 cm. (in width?), 

 which is rolled into a ball and later is spun. 



Nowadays, commei-cial thread {hilaza), pur- 

 chased in Papantla, serves either as a warp or 



woof. For the heavy, ornamental weft, a thick, 

 loosely twisted three or four-strand commercial 

 thread is used. It is marketed as pabilo and ap- 

 parently is manufactured chiefly for candlewicks. 

 This, however, is given special treatment. The 

 strands are opened and are respun with the whorl. 

 To splice, fibers of both ends are pulled, until they 

 are soft and spread ; then they are twisted together 

 with the fingers and subsequently spun with the 

 whorl. 



It is said, and probably correctly, that com- 

 mercial thread is stronger, involves less work, and 

 now that the cotton plant is scarce, is more readily 

 available. To a certain extent, native cotton still 

 is used, but most weavers prefer commercial 

 threads which greatly reduce the chore of spinning. 



A person who wishes to have a textile made, 

 sometimes gives a weaver sufficient cotton for two 

 of the specimens desired. She weaves one for 

 the donor of the fiber, and one for herself; the 

 material used in the latter is considered payment 

 for her labor. 



SPINNING 



The spindle consists of a short, slender wooden 

 rod, weighted near the base by a perforated clay 

 whorl (lisiwit) of local manufacture. It is said 



?<; 



Figure 54. — Clay spindle whorl. Sketch of specimen 

 used by Ignacia Hernandez. Approximately natural 

 size. 



that in Talaxca dependence is exclusively upon 

 clay or stone whorls found archeologically. We 

 have seen one Tajin whorl which is subconical; 

 another is a disk, about 3 cm. in diameter. On the 

 lower face of the latter are three excrescences, so 

 arranged as to give the impression of a face (fig. 

 54). 



