ancient maya

"I've always been fascinated by the giant kites that are flown in our sister country of Guatemala, specifically in Sumpango. This tablecloth is my way of uniting our beautiful neighboring countries," explains Rhina Rehmann in El Salavador of her inspiration. A tradition that originated with the ancient Mayas, kite-flying on November 1st represents the connection between the dead and the living, when the doors of the underworld are opened and they are let out. Detailed in white, the florid composition is crafted by hand with traditional batik techniques on the cotton tablecloth. The rich blue background comes from the natural indigo dyes harvested and prepared at Rehmann's hacienda.

Palenque is the name of an ancient Mayan city-state in Mexico, where a famous tomb resides within the confines of a pyramid. This cotton wall hanging recreates the images and characters depicted on the surface of that tomb, portraying the great leader Pakal, surrounded by Mayan religious motifs. El Salvador's Rhina Rehmann designs the wall hanging, achieving the motifs using the batik method, where a wax resist is applied to the cotton fabric before submerging it in a vat of Prussian blue dye, with gold-colored accents added afterward by hand.

During the times when European explorers began arriving on the shores of ancient Latin America, Mayan cultures throughout the continent enjoyed a great prosperity of mercantile life. An ah ppolom, or "great merchant," would travel between cities in order to facilitate the transfer of goods. Accompanied by servants and warriors, an ah ppolom is depicted here in this cotton wall hanging designed by Rhina Rehmann. Featuring ivory-colored motifs against a body of Prussian blue, the patterns in the Salvadoran wall hanging are achieved using the batik method, where a wax resist is applied to the fabric before it is submerged in a vat of dye.