A type of coarse woolen fabric or blanket, especially one traditionally made or used in Spain and Spanish America; also spelled bayete.
From Spanish bayeta, a word for a coarse woolen cloth. The Spanish term possibly derives from bayal or relates to baize, another type of coarse fabric. The word entered English through trade and cultural contact with Spanish-speaking regions.
Bayeta blankets became incredibly important in Native American trade and culture, especially in the Southwest—Spanish traders introduced these fabrics, and they became so valued that Native weavers incorporated them into their own weaving traditions!
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