This seemingly innocuous blue cloth with animals in red and yellow embroidery is called a pisbal kotsih. It resembles many of the other general-purpose cloths used by the Maya to carry babies, food, place on the head to protect from sun and cold,…
Wooden saint figures, such as the one in the center, were lavishly dressed and re-dressed over time in layers of miniature clothes such as those on either side of him. Despite their European Catholic origin, santos and santas were “Mayanized”…
As a Maya weaver, or more often an entire traditional indigenous family, takes on more intricate designs for jaspé cloths, the planning and execution become accordingly more challenging. Even machine-made examples, such as this skirt involve…
This green and blue cloth is a santo’s tzut, an all-purpose cloth often used as a male head covering. Green is commonly associated with Saint Joseph, perhaps indicating the identity of the saint it originally clothed. The machine-made lace is a…
Unlike jackets, which were introduced by the Spanish, capes date back to representations of ancient Maya rulers. Light red with brocaded animals, this would have been worn by a santo over his camisa. The upper register features birds, while the…
Wooden saint figures, such as the one in the center, were lavishly dressed and re-dressed over time in layers of miniature clothes such as those on either side of him. Despite their European Catholic origin, santos and santas were “Mayanized”…
During the Spanish Conquest of modern-day Guatemala, missionaries formed cofradías (religious confraternities) for the indigenous people in an effort to cement the Catholic Church in every community. Cofradía members were responsible for the…
Like Andean weavers of all periods and modern Guna textile artists (see Engaging the New), the Maya have always sought to master the most difficult fiber-working techniques. This woman’s skirt, though it is machine-made and thus reflects modern…
This blouse dates from around 1945 and maintains the purple and pink palette and the radiating neck embroidery seen in earlier examples. However, it also shows the beginning of the later Chichicastenango design trajectory in the adoption of large…