Ancestry and Artistry: Maya Textiles from Guatemala

Cloth holds great importance for Guatemala s indigenous communities, and traditional dress plays an essential role in Maya identity today as a vital link with the ancestral past and a means of cultural reinvention. Whether worn for religious ceremonies or as an emblem of ethnic pride, textiles offer a medium for innovation and creative expression, as well as a marketable product for the tourist industry. Through a range of perspectives reflecting on Maya identity and the effects of global influences on culture and community life in Guatemala, Ancestry and Artistry traces a century of dynamic change as well as the remarkable continuity of ancient Maya traditions in the face of significant modernization, political upheaval, and religious transformation.