serape

thumb|Classic Saltillo Serape, circa 1825|upright thumb|187px|Traditional serapes are worn like a shawl or [[cloak. Its alteration into a poncho-like clothing item is more recent.]]

The serape, sarape or jorongo is a long blanket-like shawl or cloak, often brightly colored and fringed at the ends, worn in Mexico, especially by men. The accepted spelling of the word in Mexico and Spanish-speaking countries is sarape (or, less commonly, zarape). The term serape is for the rectangular woven blanket (no openings), though in more recent years it can also be used to refer to a very soft rectangular blanket with an opening in the middle for one's head, similar to a poncho, called gabán, or jorongo in Mexico. Modern variations of some serapes are made with matching hoods for head covering. The length varies, but front and back normally reach knee length on an average person.