Quechquimitl

Happy Birthday to Me!! I've wanted one of these Quechquimitl  (Ruanas) for years and finally got one!  I ordered it from Centinela Traditional Arts in Chimayo, New Mexico.  I will feel very elegant wrapped in it.  Happy, Happy Birthday to me!!

Added later in response to inquisitive minds:
In some cultures this poncho-like garment, called a quechquemitl, is from Mexico and has been worn by indigenous Mexican women for around two thousand years. Before the Spanish arrived in 1521, noble women and priests wore this type of garment during ceremonies, and goddesses were often depicted wearing them in statues and paintings. Today, many ordinary indigenous women in northern and central Mexico wear quechquemitl for warmth and decoration each day.

Like most quechquemitl,  they are traditionally composed of two rectangles of handwoven cloth stitched together to attach the end of each rectangle to the side of the other. This ingenious design forms a square garment that can be slipped over the head. The points of the square hang in front and back, but other quechquemitl are intended to be worn with the points hanging to the sides, over the shoulders, instead.