What are you wearing? What does it say about you?

You might ask yourself these questions after taking in "Painted Cloth: Fashion and Ritual in Colonial Latin American," an exhibit now up at the Blanton Museum of Art.

The exhibit opened earlier this month and explores how fabric and garments were received in both civil and religious settings, mainly during the 1700s in Latin America. Most of the works in the exhibit are from what are Mexico and Peru today, but pieces from Bolivia, Guatemala, Venezuela and the American Southwest are included. The exhibit was organized by Rosario Granados, the Blanton's Marilynn Thoma Associate Curator, Art of the Spanish Americas.

"Painted Cloth" will be open through Jan. 8.

Here are five things to know about "Painted Cloth" before you head to the museum.

No piece in "Painted Cloth" is skippable, so if you're looking for a quick afternoon visit, rethink that. The exhibit includes more than 70 objects, including an ornate gown, a sewing table, embroidery and paintings made to look like fabric.

Burnt red curtains usher you inside the exhibit, and if you look closely, you'll see them in many paintings, too. The exhibit includes five sections: "Cloth Making," "Wearing Social Status," "Dressing the Sacred," "The Holiness of Cloth" and "Ritual Garments."

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The show has three goals, Granados said: to reflect on how what a person wore communicated their status to the world; to use the visual representation of cloth to bring focus to the aesthetic components of the artistic production of the Spanish Americas; and to open conversations about the colonial period to determine its impact in shaping the contemporary Latin American experience regarding religion, race, gender and class.

Paintings are flush with gold flourishes, rich reds and tiny details. Some pieces are huge, and others are nearly postcard-sized.

This piece is immense and has a whole wall to itself. It shows Mary on a mantle with baby Jesus, and the painting's donor in the left corner. Mary is lavishly dressed in a crisp, red cloth covered in gold decorations. A piece of lace lies across her collarbones, and gold jewelry dangles from her ears and in her hair. A gold crown tops her head.

Experience this painting every way you can. Walk up toward it from the other side of the room. Peer up at Mary while you stand as close as possible to the wall. Walk backward away from the work. Look at it from different directions. Each way offers a new adventure.

Look closely as you drift from work to work.

One piece presents as a piece of fabric, but it is, in fact, an oil painting.

"I think it's fantastic because they most likely chose a painted version because the real thing was very, much more expensive. So it is amazing how, out of necessity, you can create something as beautiful as this one," Granados said.

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Paintings with fabric depicted in them hang near another altar, separate from "Nuestra Señora de Belén con un donante (Our Lady of Bethlehem with a Donor)." A woman holds a piece of fabric in one; another shows a piece of fabric nailed into a wall. In what we consider one of the highlights of the show, "Ecstasy of Mary Magdalene" shows Mary Magdalene surrounded by two angels in a wooded area. A white, lace-like border surrounds them.

"It's supposed to be invisible. But instead of covering this body, it's unveiling it for you. It's inviting you to see it by pretending that it's covered, which I think is just absolutely fabulous," Granados said. "What you see is just tiny brush strokes. You can just stay here forever thinking, 'What is going on with this woman that is laying down and being carried along by angels?' And it's magical."

With a show all about how you present yourself to the world, the Blanton was sure to include a cute spot at the end of the exhibit for photos. Snap a selfie or pose for a photo in front of what looks like green wallpaper with gold circley decor inside a frame. A red curtain hangs on the left.

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"Casta" will include puppetry, dance and original music. It is inspired by casta paintings, which is a Mexican art genre that shows mixed-race couples and their children according to a caste system defined by Spanish elites. "Casta" will be included with museum admission and be in the museum's Rapoport Atrium.

The show, which is presented by the Blanton and Salvage Vanguard Theater, starts at 2 p.m. on the following days: Oct. 20, 22, 23, 27, 29 and 30.

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Where: Blanton Museum of Art, 200 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

When: "Painted Cloth" is on display through Jan. 8. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday-Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Cost: The Blanton is free every Thursday. Otherwise, tickets start at $12 for adults.