Samplers have been used in many cultures to display patterns and stitch techniques, but it was in Europe that they first developed as both an educational and decorative exercise. Band samplers—narrow, long samplers that allow for plenty of room to practice—survived into the 1700s and 1800s, notably in Spain and its colonies. The Spanish words for sampler are called dechado or muestra de bordado.

Before European exploration and colonization, the land now known as the U.S. state of New Mexico had been inhabited by Native American tribes for thousands of years. The Spanish colonized the region in 1598, naming it Nuevo México. After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1824, New Mexico became a Mexican territory with considerable autonomy. Despite this shift, Spanish influence endured, including the practice of teaching girls and women to create samplers.

Antonio José Villaescusa Fernandez, born in Alpera, Spain, settled in New Mexico and married Maria Luisa de los Dolores Maese. Together, they had at least four children. A daughter, Maria Del Carmen Fernandez, was born in 1819 in Taos, New Mexico. As a student, Maria worked this simple, long band sampler with the help of her teacher, Lady Maria Antonia de Aceta. In silk, Fernandez carefully cross-stitched her name, as well as her instructor’s, below the rows of the alphabet. She did not include a date, but most samplers were created when girls were 11 or 12, so this sampler was likely made about 1830.

Interestingly, Fernandez seems to have initially forgotten to include the letter E in the alphabet letters, as it is stitched as the last line of letters. A few other letters are completely missing, including W, which was not yet part of the Spanish alphabet, and U, which was represented by the letter V. Below her signature, she stitched a phrase that roughly translates to “Long live the pure hearts of Jesus [and] Mary.”