Woven Cloth: Hecho en Guatemala
University Gallery, Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
July 1995
The Maya of Guatemala are widely known for their woven creations, and they are generally regarded as great creative artists. Their works in fiber are truly a celebration of indigenous artistic achievement.
Maya women are able to create the most sophisticated, colorful, and intricate patterns on backstrap looms. These textiles are much more than simply functional and decorative pieces. They are symbolic of the relationship between the weaver, her art, and the particular community. As artistic expressions, they are prized for their overall visual impact, technical skill, and quality.
Weaving requires simple technology and materials. The backstrap loom is basically several sticks, a rope, and a strap. Cotton is the fiber used most commonly by weavers in Guatemala, and they buy it in all colors at local markets. Synthetic yarns are also very popular. Few weavers today actually spin or dye their own yarns.
Maya women wear traditional clothing. 
Their native dress is known by the Spanish word traje. The costume includes several pieces: a huipil (blouse), a corte or morga (skirt), a faja (belt or sash), a cinta (hair ribbon) and a perraje (shawl). Many women carry with them an all-purpose cloth called a tzute. These articles of daily wear and use are recognizably from a particular community based on their technique, imagery, and color. There are also textiles for special occasions and ceremonial purposes. Most Maya men today wear Western clothes.
Guatemalan weavers excel in the art of brocade as the principal decorating technique, and they create dynamic raised patterns and designs on their looms. Embroidery is also part of the textile traditions. Motifs for both techniques come directly from nature, and they are executed in either a symbolic or representational manner. Geometric designs, too, are very common.
Weaving is a gender-specific activity. Women produce textiles usually intended for their personal use on the backstrap loom. 
The width of these items is limited to the reach of their arms. Men weave cloth designed for commercial sale on foot looms, and they do not have such inherent limitations. Cortes are traditionally woven by men on foot looms. Textiles made specifically for the tourist trade are known as típica, and they are a major export industry in Guatemala today.
The exhibition is an introduction to the variety of women’s dress from the highlands of Guatemala. These costumes represent a number of communities and linguistic groups. They also illustrate different weaving techniques and materials.
The woven pieces are displayed as expressions in thread from a culture dedicated to fiberarts. The language of these textiles is an ancient testament entrusted to every generation of weavers, and it is rooted in the Maya legends. The goddess Ixchel watches over the creative processes of both weaving and childbirth.
The Du Flon Collection encourages the appreciation and enjoyment of textiles as works of art, and it periodically shares some of its treasures for this purpose. Its most recent shows and presentations in the United States have been at Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC. Woven Cloth: Hecho en Guatemala is a rare glimpse of one the finest and most complete private collections of Maya textiles.
For four decades, Henry A. Du Flon has bought Guatemalan textiles purely for pleasure. Guided by his personal taste, he has amassed one of the preeminent private collections of Maya costumes. The Collection is a constant source of satisfaction for Mr. Du Flon, who savors the beauty, quality, and artistry of the weavings. His name is synonymous with the highest level of textile collecting in Guatemala, and his collection often serves as reference material for family and friends, private and corporate collectors, museums, galleries, and art dealers.
Mr. Du Flon has had a distinguished career in both the public and the private sector. During the Eisenhower administration, he served in the White House and the Department of Defense. He also established ROCAP — the Regional Office for Central America and Panama. He was a successful business executive for major corporations in the United States, and as an independent international consultant, he worked for many years in Europe, the Far East, and South America. He has served on board of directors in Australia, Malasia, and the United States.
Mr. Du Flon has been married for 50 years to photographer Barbara Van Clief, who has dedicated her professional life to documenting her own family, the Highlands of Guatemala and its indigenous people. Their home in La Antigua is a local landmark.