• Please use real names.

    Greetings to all who have registered to OPF and those guests taking a look around. Please use real names. Registrations with fictitious names will not be processed. REAL NAMES ONLY will be processed

    Firstname Lastname

    Register

    We are a courteous and supportive community. No need to hide behind an alia. If you have a genuine need for privacy/secrecy then let me know!
  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

Tiring

Peter Dexter

Well-known member
44020416750_53546c7fb2_b.jpg
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief

So, this is not the genuine mesoamerican poncho worn by the indigenous folk and copied by the Spanish invaders, prosetlyzers and colonizers!

“Unlike the poncho, the serape is not designed to be worn as a primary garment – rather, it is supposed to accent the outerwear that someone already has. Serapes were first worn in Mexico, usually be men that worked in middle-class or upper-class positions. Some of the first serapes were made with hoods – although these are so functionally similar to ponchos that we typically lump them into the former group for the sake of simplicity.

Unlike ponchos, serapes were not designed by the indigenous people of modern-day Mexico, but they were designed instead as urban fashion by the Spanish settlers that came over. Basically, the serape is like a poncho that has been modified to make it a bit less bulky, transforming the poncho from a staple of laborer wardrobes to something that is accessible by people all over the world.

In Guatemala, the primary country that exports serapes, many Mayan families are able to subsist entirely on the proceeds from the sale and export of this clothing to city dwellers and to foreigners. The sale of serapes can help subsidize the Mayan families when they are unable to make enough to subsist on agriculture, so brokering serapes is actually a great way to support the developing economy of the region. Additionally, the handmade nature of authentic serapes lends credibility to the entire look by including small imperfections that are barely noticeable to the eye, but they keep the serape from looking as though it was produced by machine.” Source

So it is, after all, the colonizer’s piece of strutting cloth to show flair of life above the peasants! So, I guess, despite the heat, it’s a fellows pride and standing that’s at stake.

In my time in medical school, we wore “vests” or waistcoats, useless garments below the jacket, that seemed “necessary” for any “gentleman” of standing!

Asher
 

Peter Dexter

Well-known member
It is certainly a fashion accessory as is the sombrero but can be worn to add a little warmth in the cool of the evening.
 
Top