Chinas Oaxaqueñas - detail

Although there are no immediately obvious Chinese references in the costumes the dancers sew themselves, or in the jewelry they wear, the Chinas Oaxaqueñas retain their enigmatic name, which comes from the “Barrio de China,” a neighborhood that was home to a large population of Chinese factory workers and builders in the mid-20th century. Known in Spanish as Chinas, they taught the native Oaxacans in their neighborhoods how to do silk embroidery, and their legacy remains in the silk rebozos—the shawl-like scarves that add brilliant, but demure, coverage, for a dual purpose that is both reverent and festive. Source: https://www.vogue.com/article/china-oaxaquena-oaxaca-city-mexico-folk-dancer-costumes-video-guelaguetza-calendas