🙋♀️ : What kind of blankets are they used at camping or picnic? The one we often see on social media these days? 👩🏫 : Those are 'Mexican Blankets'!
Image Credit : (left) https://lavenderfresh.tumblr.com/post/46696134871
(center) https://advancedprimate.com / (right) https://www.wayfair.com
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Blanket with colorful and eye-catching geometric patterns. It's a must-have item for car camping or picnic. So let's find out about the Mexican Blanket, the blanket you've all seen!
🙋♀️ It's not a blanket?
A shawl for men worn in Mexico
Its original name is serape or jorongo, a type of shawl worn by men in Mexico.
It is commonly known as 'Mexican Blanket' because of its long blanket-like shape. It often has bright colored patterns and fringed at the ends.
Different names in other countries
Besides Mexico, many other countries in South America have similar garments, but they all have different names.
In Chile, it is called Poncho or Cha-Manto, which means 'fabric made of wool.' It is also called Ruana in Colombia and Pala in Brazil. Most of them have a hole in the middle of the shawl to wear over their heads, while Mexican serape is a big blanket shape without a hole in the middle. That's why it's called the Mexican Blanket.👀
Image Credit: Wikipedia Serape
🙋♀️ Ok, it was supposed to wear. Then who wore it?
From Mexico to Europe
Serape began to be worn in Contla, Mexico when Spanish conquistadors were exploring South and Central America. During the Colonial period, it was brought over to New Spain, and the design and style have changed, adapting to the climate.
When the Spanish Empire had unrivaled power, the Spanish introduced the serape to Europe. From there, it has spread all over the world as the Spanish took it everywhere with them.
Image Credit: theprisma.co.uk
The symbols of cowboys
If you've ever watched classic western movies, you might remember the shawl that cowboys wore. This shawl is also serape. The Mexican cowboys, or vaqueros, wore them as badges of honor, and they were highly prized items for them.
Many painters during that time depicted vaqueros wearing serapes with their guns holstered beneath them. It was a very effective way of hiding their weapons.
Image Credit: from a movie, 'A Fistful of Dollars'
Part of the military uniforms
In 1835, in the Texas War, soldiers wore serapes over their military uniforms to differentiate them from their commanders. When they returned home after the war, they hang their serapes on the wall as a badge of honor for their brave service during the war.
Image Credit: FSH Museum David DeKunder
🙋♀️ Then if any blanket is colorful and striped, is it Mexican Blanket?
It depends on the region. It comes in various colors and patterns, and it varies depending on the areas of Mexico.
The highland and mountainous regions in Mexico
Traditional serapes from the highland regions combined two colors among black, gray, brown, and tan. It also has large patterns from traditional indigenous motifs. The colors depend on the natural color of the sheep flocks grown in the area.
Image Credit: Wikipedia Serape
Central Mexico and desert regions
Serapes from central Mexico and desert regions are the dark color base with yellow, orange, red, blue, green, purple, or other bright stripes. And their ends are usually fringed.
Image Credit: https://blog.xcaret.com/en/
🙋♀️ Where can I use it besides cover something?
Fashion items
Serape has become a trendy fashion accessory since a few years ago. Around the world, especially the younger generation, enjoy wearing serapes as fashion items, and famous designers are transforming them to showcase their unique twist on their design. It is no overstatement to say that serape has become one of the world's fashion styles.
Image Credit: (left) Ralph Lauren / (center) Paul & Joe / (right) Tommy Hilfiger
Yoga Blanket
About 40 years ago, BKS Lyengar, one of the foremost yoga teachers, first used serapes in yoga training.
Nowadays, it becomes an essential item for yoga practice, and almost everyone who does yoga uses them. (I always take it with me when I do yoga as well!🤗) Although serapes seem to be thick, it is easy to fold easily, so you can fold or roll them up to your desired size and use them like cushions or pillows during your yoga practice. Or place it over your yoga mat to avoid sitting on a cold floor in winter.
Image Credit: https://shophalfmoon.com
Best Home Decoration Items
The hundreds-year-old serape starting with men's shawls has become popular. We often see it in everyday life, and its uses are endless, from blankets to fashion. Colorful and bright colors make it great for home decorations in many ways.
Placing a room with colorful serapes will brighten the atmosphere. If you decorate it on one side of the sofa, you can use it as a blanket on a chill evening. So it's killing two birds with one stone!
It's also durable, so you can use it as a rug on the floor or a curtain on a large window. It can be a pretty tablecloth for home parties.
Image Credit: (from the top left) (1) Valorie Stotts-Owens (2) garzamarfa.com
🙋♀️ Where can I buy them ?!
It's more diverse and cheaper online rather than offline.
Search them on any search engine or online marketplaces with keywords, such as mexican blanket, serape blanket, yoga blanket. How about buying one if you don't have one yet and try a unique home styling?
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