Serape

This article is about the Mexican shawl. For the ancient Egyptian gods, see Serapis.

A Navajo serape from the mid-19th century.

Classic Saltillo Serape, circa 1825

Traditional serapes are worn like a shawl or cloak. Its alteration into a poncho-like clothing item is more recent.

The serape, sarape or jorongo is a long blanket-like shawl or cloak, often brightly colored and fringed at the ends, worn in Mexico, especially by men. The accepted spelling of the word in Mexico and Spanish-speaking countries is sarape^[1] (or, less commonly, zarape^[2]). The term serape is for the rectangular woven blanket (no openings), though in more recent years it can also be used to refer to a very soft rectangular blanket with an opening in the middle for one's head, similar to a poncho, called gabán, or jorongo in Mexico. Modern variations of some serapes are made with matching hoods for head covering. The length varies, but front and back normally reach knee length on an average person.

Available in various colors and design patterns, the typical colors of serapes from the highland regions are two-tone combinations of black, grey, brown, or tan depending on the natural color of the sheep flocks grown in the area, with large design patterns utilizing traditional indigenous motifs. ^[3] The ends are usually fringed.

History

The serape is thought to have its forebears in garments worn in the region near Chiautempan and Contla, Tlaxcala. Around 1591, a diaspora from Tlaxcala accompanied Spanish conquistadores North to pacify La Gran Chichimeca. They eventually settled near Saltillo in the barrio of San Esteban de la Nueva Tlaxcala, where they began agricultural development, including the raising of sheep and goats.^[4] There are records of two master weavers being sent from Tlaxcala to Saltillo in 1650^[4].

One of the first documented instances of the word zarape, can be found in the diaries of fray Juan Augustin de Morfi, from his visit in 1777 to a property owned by descendants of conquistador, Francisco de Urdiñola^[5].

During the Colonial period, it was taken to northern New Spain where it was adapted to the climate and the motifs changed. Designs and motifs changed during the reign of Maximilian I, where French and European patterns containing flowers, animals, and classic architecture were combined with traditional patterns. This specific style of sarapes were called Maximilians^[6] In the mid 1850s, sarapes began being made with machine-woven yarn and synthetic dyes. ^[6]

The city of Teocaltiche, Jalisco is strongly linked to the development of the serape, although it was widespread throughout the area then known as Nueva Vizcaya.

Guatemalan serape

The serape is not a typical garment for the Maya highland people, who wear different clothing in cold regions.^{[citation needed]} The Guatemalan serape is an imitation of the Mexican serape with a Maya twist, and their production is intended for sales to foreigners or city dwellers who feel attracted to the garment. These serapes are sold through a broker, with the Mayan families, who depend mostly upon agricultural work, manufacturing small quantities for extra income. The brokers display the serapes at an incremental price at local markets or the sides of highland roads in improvised huts. The brokers are typically Maya. The appeal of the serape may be that they are made by Maya women on their traditional home looms, giving the serape a handmade look.

Modern Day

Modern mexican sarape.

The serape has seen a resurgence in popularity in the 2000s.^[7] Boutiques have added them to their inventory as companies produce new modern designs but with traditional methods.

Weavers in Saltillo have defended the tradition of sarape production and have criticized foreign designers for appropriating traditional designs.^[8]

In 2019, Venezuelan-American Carolina Herrera was criticized for using the traditional designs as part of her firm's Resort Collection. The Mexican minister of culture wrote a public letter asking the design house to clarify how the firm received permission to commercialize patterns associated with specific communities.^[9]. In 2025, the Ministry of Culture reiterated their position that firms that profit from traditional clothing must compensate the artisans that preserved the techniques and designs of sarapes.^[10] The Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), which registers intellectual property, has an entry for Sarape fino de Saltillo (Fine Saltillo sarape), which would protect the artisans, according to the Coahuilan cultural activist, Jesus Gerardo Segura Medina.^[10][11]

See also

• Huipil
• Poncho
• Rebozo
• Textiles of Mexico
• Tilmàtli
• Serape effect

References

1. Real Academia Española [1]
2. "zarape | Definición de zarape en español de Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries | Español. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
3. On the other hand, the traditional serape as made in the Mexican state of Coahuila in north-eastern Mexico near the city of Saltillo often consists of a dark base color with bands of yellow, orange, red, blue, green, purple, or other bright colors."Serape". The Met. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
4. "Los orígenes del Sarape de Saltillo". Mexico Desconocido (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 January 2026.
5. Morfi, Juan Agustín. McLean, Malcolm D (ed.). Diario y derrotero, 1777-1781 (1967 ed.). Monterrey. p. 101.
6. Adams, Henry. "Latin America's Wrap for All Seasons". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
7. "San Marcos blankets are objects of affection among Latinos". Los Angeles Times. 2012-06-26. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
8. "Artesanos defienden el sarape mexicano ante la imitación de Carolina Herrera". LA Times (in Spanish). LA Times. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
9. Jackson, Jame. "For The First Time, A Country's Government Is Calling Out A Fashion House For Appropriation". BuzzFeed. BuzzFeed. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
10. Guillén Patiño, David (7 August 2025). "Sí está protegido el sarape de Saltillo contra la apropiación ilegal: Secretaría de Cultura" [Minister of Culture: Yes, the Saltillo sarape is protected against illegal appropriation] (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 January 2026. En algún momento, egresados de la Facultad de Jurisprudencia de la UAdeC señalaron la urgencia de registrar una indicación geográfica para el sarape de Saltillo ante el IMPI, lo cual permitiría proteger su diseño y elaboración artesanal. ″Desde luego, sí existe la manera de proteger contra cualquier intento de apropiación de las técnicas de elaboración y diseños del sarape", afirmó.
11. Guillén Patiño, David. "Promoción cultural se encuentra estancada en Coahuila, asegura activista". Vanguardia. Vanguardia. Retrieved 6 January 2026.

Bibliography

• Conkling, Alfred Ronald (2009). Appleton's Guide to Mexico. Richardson. ISBN 978-1-115-58237-7.
• "sarape". Diccionario de la Lengua Española (22nd ed.). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 26 May 2011.

External links

• Media related to sarape at Wikimedia Commons