huipilli (Azca29)

This painted black-line drawing of the iconographic example of an indigenous woman’s hand woven blouse (what we are calling a huipilli, for lack of a gloss) is worn in this scene by doña Marina, the elite Nahua woman who was taken by Hernando Cortés to be his interpreter shortly after landing on the Gulf coast. This blouse seems exceptionally wide in this scene. The top part has a red mesh pattern with a white-bordered V-neck. At the top of the wider part there is a tan-colored fabric rectangle, apparently there to reinforce the bottom of the V-neck, although in many huipiles this space occupies an important cultural message. Along the bottom edge of the blouse there is a wide border that is decorated with small red details of some kind, and maybe a red fringe along the bottom edge. Showing below the blouse is a longer skirt, just white. Doña Marina wears her hair in the neaxtlahualli style with the two points above her forehead. It appears that her braids are twisted and tied with a red cord.