My Grandmother In Law, originally uploaded by thisvintagechica.
***while I am still organizing the craft space, I bring you this***
Several readers have asked if I am Mexican or have a Hispanic background because of the "chica" part of my blog name. The answer is no. I am of German, Dutch, Irish and Welsh decent....as white girl as they come. So why the "chica" do you ask? Well, the Spanish language and Hispanic culture has woven its way into many different areas of my life through school, trips to South and Central America, many Spanish speaking friends, and food (of course) finally resulting in my marriage. My husband's family is originally from Mexico and my "el suegro" (father-in-law) still lives outside of Mexico City.
Several years ago I was putting together a wall of black and white photos of us, our boys, and other family members and I asked my mother-in-law Sofia if she would mind sharing some photos of their family. The photos she gave me are amazing. But this one in particular. The above photo is of her mother, my grandmother-in-law posing in the most amazing ensemble. Sofia told me the following story to go along with the photo.
Her mother had several sisters. And in the Moreno house it was the rule that before any of them could go out in , they had to do so many hours practicin their embroidery skills. One of their joint projects was the skirt showin in the photo above. All of the sisters had a hand in embroidering this skirt while watching the young men pass by their house waiting for them to finish. If you look closely you can see an eagle with a snake in its mouth embroidered on the skirt. The eagle and the snake are traditional Mexican symbols and can also be found on the Mexican flag. But I love the rest of the outfit just as much as the skirt. Look at those beads! She reminds me of Frida, but much prettier...a real vintage chica for sure.
And on a related note, this little ebay purchase came in the mail today. It is a old children's Mexican tourist jacket. I have been wanting one for a long time and finally found one at a reasonable price.
And the back side of the jacket is even more spectacular.
You can see where it used to say MEXICO on the blue skirt. But I can fix that...a little yellow embroidery thread and it will be good as new. One very interesting thing is that the eagle and snake appear on this lady's skirt as well. It was too much of a coincidence that I had to share.
Thank you Sofia for sharing your family photos with your daughter-in-law and for passing down the story that goes along with it. Oh, and your paella recipe too! It is to die for and my favorite recipe of hers to make.
