It can be recognized by its opaque colors, checkered background, barbite finish at the ends, and frequently rough texture. We refer to the tilma blanketa blanket born in Mexico.
And although it has saved millions of Mexicans from freezing to death for hundreds of winters, the reality is that it is in danger of extinction with the arrival of thermal covers, bedspreads of polar fabric, among an endless number of blankets.
Tlaxcala, main products of tilma blankets
but some textile companies Mexican, especially from the state of Tlaxcalathey are still in charge of producing them to preserve the tradition, this is the case of small workshops, as well as factories such as Castelog, La Luz or Amltextil, a company that by the way created a tilma blanket with fire retardant treatment.
Although beyond the effort that manufacturers put into continuing to produce them to prevent their disappearance, they do so to a large extent because there is still considerable demand for them, especially because of their price.
Tilma blanket, the favorites for cheap
Currently, a tilma can be found between 66, 100 or 133 pesos, which makes it the favorite, not only of the general population, but also of municipal governments and state that seek to look good with less favored people, giving them away in winter or weather emergencies.
Little or nothing is known about who invented the tilma blanket and in what year, in fact there is no known thesis or other type of professional research on the matter, but the language offers some clues.
Its pre-Hispanic origin
The Royal Academy of the Spanish Language (RAE) states that the “tilma” is a blanket used in Mexico made of cotton that country men wear as a cape, tied over one shoulder, so it seems that “tilma” is a synonym for the famous Juan Diego’s ayate.
But the origin of the word is even deeper, “tilma” is identified as a nahuatl wordwhich derives in “tilmatli” and “tilmapechitli”, the first means padded blanket and the second cotton fabric with borders and various drawings, according to a study on zarape that Ramón Mena did for INAH.
At the moment that is all we can say about the tilma blanket, but what memories does it bring back to you?
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