The poncho, a
well-known sleeveless garment with unsewn sides and a space for the head to
pass through, has its origins in South America along the Andes Mountains.
Although the origin of the word poncho is not clear it is
believed to come from the Quechua puchu or Mapudungun pontro. Popular among all the people that have lived
along the Andes the poncho is also a very important cultural icon for some
indigenous people. The Mexican poncho style dress is the famous in
south America .
One of these
indigenous populations has formed the largest group of Indians in South
America, which once stood at almost 1.5 million at the beginning of the 21st Century. The Mapuche people historically occupied half of the
territory we know today as Chile and Argentina, but their presence has
significantly declined and they now occupy about 10% and 0.004% of the Chilean
and Argentine populations respectively. Although there is contention as to the
exact origin of the garment, it was the Mapuche who spread what we know today
as the poncho throughout Spain and Latin America.
The Mapuche are
highly-skilled weavers and fashioned a number of items as well as ponchos,
including headbands, dresses and shawls. The poncho itself is made by slitting
a hole in a length of fabric which is then placed around the neck, allowing the
material to drape over the shoulders. The poncho also held connotations of
power among the Mapuche population; the stepped-diamond motif was considered to
be a sign of authority and was often only worn by older men, leaders and the
heads of the paternal lineage in families.
Current uses for
the poncho include:
1. Rain expulsion: thin polyethylene
waterproof cloaks in the poncho shape are worn to protect against the rain. A
garment based on the poncho was even used as raincoats for US troops during the
Civil War.
2. Fashion item:
ponchos are a prominent style piece during autumn and winter in western
countries. Popular among women of all ages and produced in a range of designs
and fabrics, the poncho style dress is one of the
must-haves in the fashion world.
Having been worn by
their people for hundreds of years, the poncho is also closely linked to Mexican culture in the form of the Sarape with
pre-Hispanic and Iberian motifs. This colorful cloth is widely considered an
iconic symbol of Mexico. The Mexican poncho has two distinct styles:
- The serape poncho – found in
assorted colors and with fringed bottoms, these are long shawls which look
like fashioned blankets.
- The falsa poncho – popular
in tourist areas, these have a much slacker weave and are worn loosely
over the shoulders.
Although the poncho
was previously a traditional clothing item born out of the necessity to keep warm and protect the body from harsh
weather conditions while still having the freedom of movement to continue
working comfortably, it is now more frequently worn as a fashion accessory and
can be found in the majority of style outlets. Ponchos have also been drawn to
public attention when worn by well-known faces; for example, the actor Clint
Eastwood famously wore a poncho in the 1964 film A Fistful
of Dollars and more recently the former President George Bush donned a traditional
Peruvian poncho alongside the then Japanese Prime Minister and South Korean
President at the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation in 2008. You can buy poncho online.
Ironically, even
though in history only males were permitted to wear the more lavish designs of poncho online, it seems that
modern women are now taking their revenge by wearing colorful, bright and
extraordinarily intricately patterned ponchos or wool poncho during the colder
months. The poncho continues to be a hugely popular item of clothing and its
journey from South America to the west is certainly complete.
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