Trajes Regionales Mexicanos (Regional Mexican Dress)

Carlos Mérida was a Guatemalan artist who was instrumental in fusing European modernist painting with Latin American themes. He first travelled to Europe in 1910 where he encountered avant garde movements and the work of Picasso, Modigliani, Mondrian, Klee amongst others. He also became involved with Mexican artists who also spent time in Europe, such as Diego Rivera and Dr Atl (Gerardo Murillo). Mérida is best known for his murals and paintings, but the present series reveal his ability as a printmaker and his commitment to exploring indigenous subjects.


This is a portfolio containing 25 brightly coloured silkscreen prints of Mexican regional dress housed in the original beige cloth portfolio with the title, decoration and publication details on the cover. Out of an edition of 1000 copies, this is numbered 273. Included in the portfolio is a large letterpress brochure that incorporates an index of the prints and an introduction by Salvador Echeverría to the regions of Mexico. On the pages facing the index is a printed cursive text describing the technical process (how the prints were made). The original handwritten text can also be found on a separate sheet of paper in this portfolio. There is also one small extraneous print that is not part of the set.