Mexico hosts ancient textile exhibition

A new exhibition has launched dedicated to uncovering the ancient cultural history of a southern Mexico region.

Chiapas is housing the unique textile exhibition displaying the largest-ever collection of ancient Mayan textile crafts at its New World Center Maya Textiles.

The centre is located inside the former Convent of Santo Domingo de San Cristobal de las Casas.

Pre-Hispanic textile items made in Mexico and Guatemala, some dating back as far as between 600 to 900AD, are among the 3,000 artefacts being displayed to the general public for the first time, having been protected and restored for decades at the convent.

One of the main contributors to the exhibition is New York-based writer and anthropologist Francesco Pellizzi, who has personally collected 582 garments and around 228 textile crafts from over 20 different Chiapas municipalities.

The region's indigenous weavers also contributed some features to the event, with 200 textile pieces by Jolobil Sna and 970 by Olga Arriola making up some of the exhibits.

Mayans were known as the ancient and primitive aboriginal people of south-eastern Mexico, and parts of Central America, which included Guatemala.

Copyright Press Association