Complementing this dress is the gran huipil. This garment, adorned with much fine lace, is sleeveless and completely covers shoulders, arms and torso. An opening, no larger than the oval of the face which it frames, is surrounded with a splendor of frills and ruffies. The gran huipil is starched and carefully ironed so as to stiffen it, yet it is worn with comfort in either one of two ways: for religious ceremonies, covering the head and shoulders, leaving only the face exposed; for pagan fiestas called olán, with the cowl attached at the back of the head and folded down over the shoulders.

The great Tehuana huipil has many points of similarity with that of the Maya-Quiche of Guatemala, with the basic difference that the lace of the Guatemala dress is embroidered in color and its cut is extraordinarily full. It is a beautiful spectacle to see a group of Tehuanas in their gran huipiles walking gracefully along the roads of the red earth of Juchitán, Ixtepec and Tehuantepec  

Carlos Merida

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