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| A child wearing an ikat robe, |
As early as 700 BC evidence of indigo production appeared in Central and South America. Indigo was primarily used to dye yarns for weaving. Ikat is a weaving style common to many world cultures and probably one of the oldest forms of textile decoration. The weaving process involves resist dyed yarns woven into designs using the warp, the weft, or both for double weave patterns. Ikat weaving is still widely used today in South America and Mexico for ponchos and blanket production. The ancient Incas and Aztecs considered indigo more valuable than gold. Blue, a revered color was used for making their ceremonial garments and ritually staining human bodies before they were sacrificed.
The Myan culture combined indigo with a rare clay to produce a paint compound used in murals, sculptures, and ceramics.
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| photo from markhillpublishing.com |
In 1524 the Spanish conquered parts of Guatemala, Nicaragua and Peru and began producing indigo on a commercial scale. They began exporting indigo to Africa and the West Indies hoping to profit by bypassing the Portuguese and French controlled markets there. Unfortunately the indigo production in Guatemala was plagued by earthquakes and heavy rains. Fermenting indigo also attracted swarms of flies leaving people and animals sick or dying. By the mid 1700's synthetic indigo was being produced and trade tariffs were increasing. Spain decided to move onto producing other more lucrative crops including coffee which soon eclipsed indigo production and profits.
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