Remote Analysis of Historical Mexican Textiles: Reconnecting Museum Objects with the Hands who Made Them

Safeguarding tangible and intangible cultural heritage is key for social and economic development, supports social cohesion, continuity and identity, and maintains cultural diversity. Museums have fulfilled an important role in safeguarding cultural heritage; however, this process is incomplete without the participation of the communities of origin of the objects, who have rarely been engaged in the safeguarding of their own heritage. This disconnection is a product of the challenges encountered by bringing museums and communities together. This thesis uncovers layers of meaning of historical Mexican textiles currently in the GWU and The Textile Museum collection through scholarly and remote technical textile analysis, involving weavers from Indigenous communities. First, it analyzes the constant evolution of Mexican textile art and the construction of a national identity based on an Indigenous past that rarely included Indigenous communities. Then, it expands the knowledge and meaning of the textiles in the GWU and The Textile Museum collection by analyzing three textiles from the State of Oaxaca currently in the museum’s collection. Finally, by connecting communities of origin and museums, it assesses the feasibility of remote analysis of historical textiles as a tool to support safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. The results of this research show that remote analysis of historical textiles is an effective tool for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage that allowed Indigenous artists and museums to become active participants in the safeguarding process, recover textile production techniques and cultural meaning from their communities in the past, and connect to their identity in the present. Through scholarly research and dialogue, this work seeks to involve Indigenous communities in the safeguarding of their own cultural heritage and enhance the power of decorative arts to support the construction of true plurality.

Author

• Perez Exposito, Ana

Language

• English

Keyword

• Indigenous
• Safeguarding
• Textiles
• Museums
• Mexico
• Cultural Heritage

Date created

• 2025

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Decorative Arts & Design History

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Gunzburger, Cecilia

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/8049g593c