Pan American Roundtable 1 models costumes

Even before she joined Brownsville's Pan American Roundtable I in 1964, Carmen Lita Pashos was enchanted by Native American costumes.

"I've always been fascinated by the handiwork. Then, when you start researching the history of people who stick to their culture and continue to wear the clothing, it becomes even more interesting," Pashos said.

On Saturday, Pashos, who is the chair of the Costumes of the Americas Museum, presented five Mexican costumes at the Old City Cemetery Center's Coffee and Culture series. The Pan American Roundtable I, which runs the Costumes of the Americas Museum, is part of an international non-profit women's organization, Pan American Roundtable, that seeks to gain cultural understanding through friendship rather than commerce or politics. Brownsville also is home to another Roundtable chapter, Roundtable II.

"Children in this area really need to see how wonderful and creative their ancestors were and what exquisite work they did," Pashos said.

After living in Mexico City in the 1950s, Pashos says she laments the modern-day fear of traveling to Mexico, a country now associated with cartel violence and the threat of the H1N1 flu virus.

"It really breaks my heart to think of how much Mexico is suffering," she said. "It's such a beautiful place."

The costumes Pashos brought to the Old City Cemetery Center on Saturday offered a glimpse at this beauty.

Sequined skirts with the bright green and red of the Mexican flag, beaded silk tunics and suede Charro outfits filled the center with color. Pashos says the Costumes of the Americas Museum is home to more than 500 costumes from every country in the Americas except for Uruguay.

The coffee and culture series brings a speaker or activity to the Old City Cemetery Center each month to teach the community about the traditions of cultures around the world.