The typical costumes of San Luis Potosí are marked by the Huasteca influence. In this state, the typical costume is conceived as a couple, for men and women, the latter having much more cultural recognition.
San Luis Potosí is a state located in the central region of Mexico. Its capital city bears the same name, San Luis Potosí, which is at the same time its most populated city.
It borders a good number of states around it, such as Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Nuevo León, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Guanajuato and Zacatecas.
It was founded in 1592, and as an independent sovereign state from 1826. The territories that make up San Luis Potosí belong geographically to the Mexican highlands, which gives it almost unique climatic and plant characteristics.
It is a state with a great level of natural wealth: it has up to four national parks within its territories.
For centuries, these territories were inhabited by Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Chichimecas to the north, and the Huastecs and Nahuatl to the south.
This has given San Luis Potosí a great cultural historical richness that today is manifested through celebrations, festivities and artisan and social manifestations.
The Huasteca is the main ethnic influence present in the culture of San Luis Potosí, permeating even the manifestations and textile presentations of its inhabitants, whether they are traditional, for day to day or gala, for official celebrations.
The typical potosino costume can be seen as a daily costume in towns of the state, but its more gallant versions are used in celebrations and celebrations of Huasteca exaltation.
Main features
Typical female costume
The Potosino Huasteco costume, as it is also known, is the most representative version of the Huasteca culture in the state of San Luis Potosí.
Although there are presentations for both men and women, the women's wardrobe is much more popular, flashy and picturesque.
The set of the Potosi woman is made of a large piece of cloth or blanket in black or white, common tones of the region.
This piece is smooth on the back and has four folds on the front. This main garment can also be known as tangle, and its length usually falls below the knees.
The women support part of this entanglement with a factory sash adorned with red and blue stripes, accompanied by braided fringes at both ends.
At the top, women wear a flowered calico blouse, although it can also be artisela with pink or blue tones. It is a thick blouse with a high neck and pleated sleeves.
The lower part of the blouse is made in such a way that it ends in a skirt that covers the sash that supports the tangle.
Likewise, a quechquémitl (a kind of poncho) with picturesque details and ornaments is usually used on the blouse.
This quechquémitl differs from those in other states and regions. It wears a variety of colors, such as purple, green, pink, and orange.
It has the particularity of having a wool fringe that is attached to the piece by means of a colored chain.
Around the neck of the quechquémitl you can see patterns of peaks and rays in the same colors as the rest of the piece, in a harmonic or contrasting way. For these details we work with colored stamens embroidered to the point.
As for accessories, the main one is a traditional small bag or purse that women carry over their shoulders.
It is made of blanket (like tangle) and with the same colors as the quechquémitl.
As for the hairstyle, the women wear it divided in two; it is believed to be a hairstyle of pre-Hispanic origins. On top they wear a crown called petop, made of yarn and liana, which magnifies its size.
The hair, long and combed, is strained between some of the spaces of the petop, passing over the ears and returning towards the forehead, with a cross finish.
These hair diamonds also allow you to appreciate the colors of the petop, which are the same as those of the quechquémitl and other accessories.
To finish, the women place an artisela scarf over this top piece, threading it on the petop and letting it fall over the back of their head.
Typical male costume
The costume of the Huasteco man from Potosí is much simpler than that described for women. Outside of traditional celebrations and festivities, its use is limited to the elderly in some regions of San Luis Potosí.
It consists solely of a shirt and pants, both of white matte. The accessories are mainly red bandanas or scarves.
They can also wear what they call a fan-shaped plume bonnet. Potosino men usually wear this outfit barefoot or wearing huaraches.
Other not so essential accessories are a palm hat and a small bag made of zapupe fiber, also known as henequen, a small plant with whose fiber they make textiles.
These descriptions of the traditional ensembles are considered the most representative of the qualities of the state and its own inhabitants.
It is manifested quite clearly, both in San Luis Potosí and in other states, the primacy of the female group over the male, in terms of complexity, detail and showiness.
Similarly, it highlights the importance of the influence of aboriginal cultures, and how these are reflected in the textile traditions of each region.
References
- Fernández, Í. F. (2004). Mexico history. Pearson Education.
- Gallardo Arias, P., & Arias, PG (2004). Huastecos of San Luis Potosí. National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples. United Nations Development Program.
- Government of the State of San Luis Potosí. (sf). Get to know San Luis Potosí. Obtained from SLP: slp.gob.mx
- Mozzi, CM (August 3, 2016). Huastecos of San Luis Potosí. Obtained from the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples: gob.mx
- Stresser-Péan, C. (2012). On Clothing and Men: a historical perspective of indigenous clothing in Mexico. Mexico: Economic Culture Fund / Center for Mexican and Central American Studies / Alfredo Harp Helú Foundation / Oaxaca Textile Museum.