Huipiles: A way of life

Huipiles, Guatemalan textiles, are one of the most beautiful and significant parts of indigenous culture in this country. They have a MAyan legacies and represent one of the few things that are still significantly kept by almost every member of these communities. The process is very long and complex, it takes around six months to weave a huipil. Most are made out of white cotton and the colors are obtained through vegetal, animal or mineral oringin tinctures. There are 3 basic steps to completing them: preparation (threading and dying the cloth), weaving it, and finally embroidiring it. They are of great importance because it holds a great part of their identity and it is also a method of expression. By seeing a huipil we can tell where it comes from since every tribe has its own style. This dates from colonial times since the Spaniards forced them to weave this way in order to be able to recognize the tribe each person belongs to. They are incredibly beautiful and unique. The only problem now is that, now many of them have been forced to stop making what they feel and just started to do what sells the most. However there are several intents to try to avoid this by training the communities and teaching them how to produce more profitable crafts without giving up doing what they like and feel.