Very Colorful Rio Grande Blanket, Circa 1870

Spanish Colonial New Mexico

Wool | Item 2287

This is a wonderful Rio Grande blanket, and highly unusual compared to what I have seen thus far. It is woven in two parts of very soft and supple churro wool. Its design is based on the infamous Mexican saltillo serape. Following in course with the saltillo design, we have the diamond center on a field of much smaller, replicated diamonds with an upper half and lower half, color wise. On a classic saltillo these background shapes are much smaller and the central diamond larger. But here the background almost takes the forefront with the degree of scale and color variations.

What is most dramatic, and beautiful, is the use of indigo along the center and sides in a bold stacking rhythm of half diamonds alternating betweed indigo and natural deep brown. While the central large diamond is grounding, these vertical stacked diamonds create a sense of vertical continuity. Between these vertical members are the stacked diamonds mostly in pink and burgundy red alternating with light indigo blue, yellow and white. At each end in the center are the two answers to the central, main diamond. Here the vertical deep indigo blue parts multiply for a brief period enough to create two, strong anchors. I have never seen this emphasis on the ends of a Rio Grande nor a saltillo serape.

All of this creativity tells me that this was likely woven by a Navajo. Navajo’s often work outside the box, creating unique designs and here we have that in excess. In addition, the use of the stepping technique while weaving diagonal lines is more Navajo than Spanish. The prolific use of color variations within a same color is also more indicative of a Navajo weaver. While it was clearly woven on a treadle loom and not a Navajo loom, the weaver could well have been a Navajo slave in the home of a Spanish family.