Huipiles for a 500-Year-Old Woman

Huipiles for a 500-Year-Old Woman A presentation by Hector Manuel Meneses Lozano (Museo Textil de Oaxaca / Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú Oaxaca) Malintzin—the interpreter for Hernán Cortés—is a crucial character in the history of what is now known as México. At a meeting hosted by the Museo Textil de Oaxaca, which included historians, linguists, textile scholars, and—most importantly—weavers and embroiderers from indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Guerrero, a seed was planted. After listening about the life of Malintzin, her context, her dexterity with different languages, and the possible structure and aesthetic of the huipiles (tunics) she may have worn, an invitation was extended to every artist in the room: if Malintzin were alive today and she visited your hometown, what is the huipil that you would create for her? This project was carried out on-site at the Museo, but also remotely via WhatsApp, voice messages, and Zoom meetings, and resulted in an exhibition presented at the Museo in October 2023.