Charros Days dresses reminisant of Mexican calender costumes

Visitors to the Brownsville Heritage Museum can’t help but notice the traditional Mexican costumes that are displayed amid an array of Brownsville’s historical portraits and memorabilia.

The exhibit, “Mexican Calendar Costumes,” is a collection of dresses owned by Robbie Myers, which were costumes that members of her family wore in Charro Days celebrations in Brownsville for many years.

The costumes serve as a preview to the exhibit, “Mexican Calendar Paintings from the Backal Collection,” and celebrate the typical festive dress worn throughout many regions in Mexico.

“These were costumes that they would wear during fiestas, dances,” Jessica Villescaz, curator of Special Collections and Archives for the Brownsville Historical Association, said. “A lot of these were Charro Days costumes but they certainly fit for the era.”

Villescaz said that the exhibit includes a variety of costumes ranging from “the Chiapaneca,” a typical dress from South Eastern Mexico, to “La Acatlan,” which comes from the Mexican state of Guerrero.

She said that the dresses are made from such materials as satin and hand-woven yarn, and contain embroidery and symbols unique to their indigenious areas.

Villescaz said that the museum decided to display the costumes because they are representative of the dress featured in many of the different scenes in the exhibit, “Mexican Calendar Paintings from the Backal Collection.” She said that though the costumes are old, they represent identity, and are essential to understanding the portrayal of the Mexican woman throughout the accompianing artwork.

The exhibit, “Mexican Calendar Costumes’” runs through Sept. 9 at the Brownsville Heritage Museum. For more information, call (956) 541-5560.