Wrapped in Color: Legacies of the Mexican Sarape

August 24, 2021 through July 2022

Through the language of color and design, the iconic Mexican Saltillo sarape expresses Indigenous, Spanish, and Mexican history, traditions, and textile techniques. Co-curated by ASM with Zapotec textile artist Porfirio Gutiérrez, this exhibit explores the origins, spread, and role today of the Saltillo sarape design. Learn about the cultivation of wild plants and insects for producing dyes and how the Porfirio Gutiérrez Studio is helping a new generation of weavers deepen their connection to Zapotec culture and embrace a path toward sustaining their identity for the future. On view are historic textiles from Mexico, New Mexico, and Indigenous communities, contemporary textiles, including six woven by Gutiérrez specifically for this exhibit, and related objects, photographs, illustrations, and videos.