| In many Mayan
villages, a person's clothing also communicates his or her age and marital
status. This status is largely based on a person's place within the life
cycle, for example, infant, adolescent, married adult, widow, or elder.
Each stage in the life cycle has an appropriate type of dress. For example,
the width and length of a woman's sash corresponds to her age and marital
status in some Mayan communities. Older women and married women wear longer
and wider sashes, while girls and single women wear shorter and narrower
sashes. In some villages, these wider sashes serve a very practical purpose:
to give bodily support to women who are pregnant. |
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Lighthearted belts, such as the one to the left from Totonicapan, Guatemala,
are popular among children and tourists who visit Mayan areas. These belts
often depict human figures, geometric forms, and animals, and these designs
may be repeated several times in the length of the belt.
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| Belts worn by
many older women may include similar motifs and designs as found in those
worn by girls. Usually, the designs are more mature, and the quality of
the work may be better or more elaborate. In some Mayan villages, wider
belts, such as the one below from Jacaltenango, Guatemala, are worn by older
women. This belt features embroidery on both the inside and outside of the
belt, making it reversible. |
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| Mourning the
death of a close family member, a husband in particular, is a long process
for Mesoamerican women. Widows must wear a mourning huipil long after the
husband's death and honor the anniversary of his passing for years to come.
In some communities, widows are not allowed to fully participate in community
festivities, like fiestas. Sometimes mourning huipils are garments that
vary dramatically from everyday attire. In other cases, the huipils are
very similar, but subtle design differences will mark the garment as a mourning
huipil. In many communities, widows are revered and respected people; the
type of clothing they wear automatically invokes this respect in other members
of their community. |
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This huipil is worn by widows in Mixco, a Pokomam-speaking community
in Guatemala.
It is woven on a backstrap loom and features pink crochet around the
neck. While the bodice is brocaded, the lower edge of this huipil is plain;
this is characteristic of huipils from Mixco.
The brocade design on the bodice of this huipil is of human figures and
birds.
Hold the cursor over the image to see a detail of this design.
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Compare this everyday huipil to the preceeding one.
This huipil is from the same community as the above huipil. It also has
a brocaded bodice and a plain lower half. Also, the brocaded designs,
particularly the birds, are quite similar.
Hold the cursor over the image to see a detail of this design.
This huipil, though, is much more colorful and is for everyday wear,
while the preceeding huipil is worn during the mourning period.
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