Museo Textiles del Mundo Maya
Center for Mayan Textiles (CTMM)
The collection of the Center for Maya Textiles includes more than 2,500 pieces, primarily from two collections: the Pellizzi Collection Trust and the Banamex Cultural Development Fund. The latter contains important examples of Chiapas textiles acquired since 1996. With more than 600 pieces assembled with the support of the National Bank of Mexico and selected by Cándida Fernández de Calderón under the guidance of Pedro Meza, and almost all made by women from the Sna Jolobil Weavers’ Society , this collection continues to grow.
The museum also houses the Banamex Cultural Development Fund’s collection of Guatemalan textiles, which comes from 17 departments and is remarkably rich. This collection includes examples from decades beginning in 1920 and comprises more than 1,000 pieces. The collection was established under the guidance of Olga Arriola de Geng and has been updated by Cándida Fernández de Calderón and Rosario Miralbés de Polanco.
The Pellizzi Collection is the result of systematic research conducted in the villages of Chiapas between 1972 and 1979. Its creation was promoted by the anthropologist Francesco Pellizzi, and it comprises 793 pieces, both ancient and contemporary to the time of the research. The collection was assembled according to the criteria of Francesco Pellizzi himself and Walter F. Morris Jr.
A selection of these pieces, which is constantly rotating, is exhibited in the Textile Art Gallery, in a series of cabinets with drawers that visitors can open and open. Its extraordinary, modern, and educational museography makes for an enriching experience for visitors, offering a deeper understanding of textile art.
