Guatemala Market Rack

Indigo has been used by the indigenous people of Guatemala for millennia. The Maya, for example, used indigo mixed with clay minerals to create a distinctive blue pigment in their wall murals, and it is found on pre-Hispanic pottery from the region. When the Spanish arrived in 1524 and established a colonial government known as the Kingdom of Guatemala, they developed indigo into a cash crop that was a cornerstone of the Spanish colonial economy. It is estimated that plantations in Guatemala produced between 12 to 15 million pounds of indigo for export by the late 1700s.

This rack display features numerous indigo-dyed Guatemalan textiles, ranging from skirts, shawls, and tunic blouses (huipils), to carrying cloths. Indigenous women gain economic independence by selling their textiles in markets often aimed at tourists and luxury boutiques which prefer natural dyes and materials. Dyers switch to synthetic dye for personal use because of time and cost.

1. Corte (Skirt) — Unsewn
   Unidentified Maker
   Unknown date
   Guatemala
   Cotton, dyes
   Gift of Arlene Cox, 1999-22-043A

2. Corte (Skirt)
   Unidentified Maker
   Unknown date
   Guatemala
   Cotton, indigo
   Gift of Martha W. Roth, 1994-43-006

3. Corte (Skirt)
   Unidentified Maker
   Unknown date
   Guatemala
   Cotton, indigo, embroidery thread
   Gift of Martha W. Roth, 1994-43-008

4. Corte (Ceremonial Skirt)
   Unidentified Maker
   About 1970–1980
   Guatemala
   Cotton, indigo, dyes
   Gift of Maurice I. Glad, 2011-34-075

5. Tzute (Multipurpose Cloth)
   Unidentified Maker
   20th Century
   Guatemala
   Cotton, dyes
   Museum purchase, 2016-09-006

6. Perraje (Carrying Cloth)
   Unidentified Maker
   Unknown date
   Guatemala
   Cotton, dyes
   Gift of Maurice I. Glad, 2011-34-073

7. Corte (Skirt)
   Unidentified Maker
   Unknown date
   Guatemala
   Cotton, indigo, embroidery thread
   Gift of Martha W. Roth, 1994-43-009

8. Perraje (Carrying Cloth or Shawl)
   Unidentified Maker
   Unknown date
   Guatemala
   Cotton, indigo, dyes
   Gift of Maurice I. Glad, 2011-34-016

9. Huipil (Tunic) Panel
   Unidentified Maker
   Unknown date
   Guatemala
   Cotton, dyes
   Gift of Anita Brandow, 2006-37-018

10. Corte (Skirt)
    Unidentified Maker
    About 1950–1960
    Guatemala
    Cotton, silk, indigo, embroidery thread
    Gift of Maurice I. Glad, 2011-34-013

11. Corte (Skirt)
    Unidentified Maker, Maya culture
    About 1960–1970
    Guatemala
    Cotton, dyes
    Gift of Maurice I. Glad, 2011-34-086

12. Corte (Skirt)
    Unidentified Maker
    Unknown date
    Guatemala
    Cotton, indigo
    Gift of Maurice I. Glad, 2011-32-050

13. Perraje (Carrying Cloth)
    Unidentified Maker
    Unknown date
    Guatemala
    Cotton, wool, dyes
    Gift of Arlene Cox, 1999-22-029

14. Tzute (Multipurpose Cloth)
    Unidentified Maker
    20th Century
    Guatemala
    Cotton, silk, dyes
    Bequest of Sally Loeb Estate, 2011-35-003

15. Perraje (Carrying Cloth)
    Unidentified Maker
    Unknown date
    Guatemala
    Cotton, dyes, embroidery thread
    Gift of Arlene Cox, 1999-22-047

16. Corte (Skirt)
    Unidentified Maker
    About 1960–1970
    Guatemala
    Cotton, indigo
    Gift of Maurice I. Glad, 2011-34-026

Gallery View, Guatemala Market Rack, Mingei International Museum. Photograph by Ron Kerner, 2024.