Married Woman's Pot or Huipil (Blouse)

Women weave traditional Maya blouses such as this one on a backstrap loom, a skill taught by the goddess of the moon and childbirth. Because this method is thought to imbue the cloth with a life force, Maya weavings are never cut but rather woven to shape. Made from shades of natural (undyed) cotton, this shirt’s embellishments communicate the wearer’s identity and status within her community and place her at the center of the K’iche’ sacred landscape. The radiating embroidery around the neckline—a marker of huipils made in Chichicastenango—represents the sun, and the appliquéd black silk rounds with attached silver coins on the shoulder refer to the moon.