Unknown Maker, Mexican

This richly embellished ensemble incorporates elements from cultures that mingled in Mexico during three centuries of Spanish rule. The floral beadwork on the blouse marks the influence of Spanish nuns who taught domestic embroidery using imported glass beads. The skirt’s felted red ground references British woolen trade cloth, and the printed tulip motif at the hem derives from a centuries-long fascination with this flower, a native of Central Asia and a prized cultivar in Ottoman Turkey and the Netherlands. The silhouette of the blouse and skirt reflect Western European tailored fashion, while the unstitched length that forms the rebozo maintains indigenous clothing traditions.

The china poblana became known as the Mexican national dress for women in the early 20th century. Its origins are shrouded in myth and folklore, with many narratives stemming from the name, which was also applied to the beatified Catarina de San Juan, a 17th-century visionary brought to Mexico as a slave from her native India by Portuguese pirates.