Mexico · Textile / Weaving & Resist-Dyeing
Rebozo de bolita
A backstrap-loom weaving tradition producing Mexico's most iconic shawl, in which silk or cotton thread is first tied and grouped in bundles using the ikat (locally called amarrado or jaspe) resist-dye technique to create the finished cloth's characteristic serpentine, feathered pattern before weaving even begins, finished with elaborate hand-knotted macramé-style fringes that can take longer to complete than the woven body itself — a technique introduced to the Otomí of this Guachichil-and-Otomí founded town by Spanish friars in the colonial period, itself carrying design influence transmitted from Asia via the Manila Galleon trade.
Risk level: Endangered · Not currently inscribed on a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list; Mexico is a State Party to the UNESCO 2003 Convention (ratified 14 December 2005) and could nominate this technique in the future.
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