Chimayo Blankets - Vintage New Mexico textiles explained by Dr. Mark Sublette - Medicine Man Gallery

Dr. Mark Sublette specializes in Navajo blankets and rugs but also has years of experience handling Hispanic made Chimayo blankets over the last thirty years in his gallery, Medicine Man Gallery. These weavings, which were pre-dated by Rio Grande Blankets, were made in northern New Mexico and they are often mistaken for Native American textiles. Despite being Hispanic made, sometimes they were listed and sold as "Chimayo Indian Made". Watch this video to learn how to identify Chimayo weavings by some of their typical characteristics.
"Chimayo blankets were made in northern New Mexico, starting around the turn of the last century. Prior to Chimayo weavings, New Mexican weavings were called Rio Grande blankets and they were made to be worn. But with the advent of the Santa Fe Railroad coming into the region in the late-1870s, the weavers in the area started making more commercially viable weavings to appeal to tourists. These textiles would often be sold as “Chimayo Indian Made” which is complete malarkey because the weavings were made by Hispanic weavers in the Chimayo area of New Mexico, northern New Mexico, and southern Colorado.
Some of the design elements you’ll see in Chimayo weavings are what we call “pan-Indian” designs: chevrons, saltillos, thunderbirds, and even “whirling logs.” These weavings were made on a horizontal heddle loom versus the Navajo aboriginal, upright loom. Chimayo weavings were made in both cotton and wool, and the wool warps were generally two-plied. They don’t really hold up for the floor but made nice additions as blankets for a bed. The earliest Chimayo weavings were very narrow, typically two feet by four feet in size. From about the 1920s forward, the textiles would be more typically woven in four by six or five by seven feet - with other sizes created as commission pieces.
Chimayo blankets are still made today. They’re collectible, very pretty pieces of functional artwork."
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Concepts: Chimayo Blankets, Rio Grande Blankets, Chevron and Saltillo Designs, Thunderbird Designs