Agave

During preconquest times, cotton was used exclusively by elites within Maya society. Consequently, the majority of Maya populations had to exploit other vegetal fibers in order to create garments. One of the most important traditional vegetal fibers used in the creation of textiles is from species of Agave (a genus that includes century plant). There is evidence of agave used for embroidery in textile fragments from the Cenote of Sacrifice at Chichen Itza. Today, agave is used for the "old-style" bags made by men of Chichicastenango. Men make twine for these bags by rolling the fibers between their palms and legs. However, fiber from a plant known as yucca, called hizote in Spanish, is preferred for finger-looped bags because it is finer than agave fiber. Agave is also valued for use in netting and sandals. Sandals are made in San Felipe and Puebla resemble ancient archaeological examples from the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico. Species of Agave known as zapupe and lechuguilla are still used among some groups for shoulder bags and household articles. Another agave species, maguey, is used in traditional cordage as well as in costumes. Among some groups, women use maguey to weave shoulder bags. Unfortunately, due to the rise of factory produced cotton and woolen textiles, the use of vegetal fibers such as agave has dramatically decreased. This highly specialized and intriguing art form is becoming lost with increasing globalization. Traditional Mayan weavers find it more economically feasible to participate in the cotton and wool industries rather than continue weaving fibers from plants like agave. Although some families continue to grow and harvest agave fibers, this trend is rare. Typically, such woven products are directed toward the tourist industry, especially western textile aficionados who are seeking rare garments for their collections. However, this segment of the tourist industry comprises a minority, and the majority of tourists are satisfied with textiles woven from cotton or wool.

Cotton

Over the past century, most cotton in Guatemala was grown near Momostenango. The two species utilized are Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium mexicanum. Gossypium hirsutum is a white cotton which is known as taman in Spanish and pits' in Maya. Gossyipium mexicanum is a brown cotton known as ixcaco or ixcay in Maya and cuyuscate in Spanish.

Traditionally, cotton was spun by the local weavers themselves. A cushion of either deer or goat skin was made by stuffing the skin with dried corn husks. The raw cotton was then placed upon the cushion and beaten with two sticks in order to free the fibers of seeds. The beating of the cotton produced a rhythmic sound that permeated the village. Once the seeds had been removed, then the cotton was ready to be spun into thread on the spindle, which is known as huso or malacate. Women sat on the ground or knelt on a mat and turned the spindle with one hand while feeding the cotton with the other hand. During this process the cotton was hung over the women's back or placed in a basket. The end result was a finely spun cotton thread which was then used to weave the textiles.

Factories in Cantel, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala have long been producing prespun white cotton, consequently most Mayan weavers no longer spin their own cotton fibers. The brown cotton cuyuscate, however, has to be hand spun and is, thus, much valued by traditional people in Guatemala. For example, cuyuscate is used in the creation of ceremonial garments in many villages such as Comalapa and Chimaltenango. Due to the value placed on brown cotton, synthetically died brown fabric has been in high demand sense 1880. Further, pearl cotton, which is known as sedalina (silk-like), is imported form Europe and the United States and is highly valued for embroidery.

Wool

By 1528, the Spanish introduced sheep into the Maya highlands. The environment of the highlands was an ideal location for the herding of sheep and the animals thrived. Merino sheep were among the earliest to be imported into Guatemala and many cotton textiles which have woolen threads woven into the woof are known by the same name. Today, flocks of sheep are a familiar site in the highlands of Mesoamerica. Due to the cold climate of the highlands, the warmth which wool provided was highly valued. Consequently, wool fiber was rapidly accepted by traditional groups in Mesoamerica. Many areas have abandoned plant fibers for the more durable material. Villages such as Chamula and Zinacantan (Chiapas) and Todos Santos (Guatemala) now raise sheep as a significant economic activity. The adoption of wool quickly led to the elimination of the use of rabbit hair and the rapid decline of feathered yarns. However, in Zinacantan, feathered yarns are still spun for the wedding huipil. The spinning and weaving of wool fiber is primarily a male activity. Traditionally, wool was spun by the shepherd while he tended his flocks. Due to the coarseness of the fiber it is woven on treadle (foot) looms. For example, in Momostenango, large blankets are made by this process. Many elements of the male costume require wool yardage, such as the pants and jackets of Chichicastenango and Todos Santos, which are composed of twilled wool.

Silk

The use of wild silk was rare in preconquest times. Groups in Oaxaca and Puebla exploited Eutachyptera psiddi, which feeds on oak. Wild silk was also collected until recently by the Otomi of the Puebla highlands. Cocoons of this species, known as Malacosoma incurvum, were collected in late spring. However, the dominant silk used in textiles is Bombyx mori, an Asiatic species introduced by the Spanish. Due to the expense of this fiber it is primarily used for small items. During the 1930s, two types of silk were sold in the Highlands, unplied silk (known as filo or floss) and two-piled silk. In Chichicastenango, ornamental tassels and in Totonicapan, ribbons were made from this silk thread. The silk is traditionally prepared by boiling the cocoons with ashes in a pot on the weavers hearth. Once dry the cocoon is pulled apart and the fibers are ready for spinning.

Bark Cloth

One can not fully present the story of Mesoamerican textiles without discussing the importance of bark cloth. Though it is no longer used by most groups in Mesoamerica, bark cloth has a long history. Although many associate bark cloth with the production of codices (Precolumbian documents), it has long been used for clothing. Early Spanish writers such as Duran and Sahagun recorded its use as apparel among the Aztec of Mexico. Because cotton garments were primarily worn by members of the elite, the vast majority of Maya populations exploited other resources in order to produce garments. It has been suggested that bark cloth predates woven textiles and may have evolved from the use of animal skins. In fact, among the Lacandon, a Mayan group in the Chiapas rainforest who are known for the production of bark cloth, there is symbolism relating the act of stripping bark for cloth and skinning an animal. Until recently, the Lacandon wore tunics made of bark cloth, and Spanish priests recorded the use of bark cloth head bands in the sixteenth century. Interestingly, the Lacandon still use bark cloth headbands for ceremonies in which their gods, represented by censers with human heads, are offered the headbands. Bark cloth is made from the wild fig tree (Ficus spp.). The bark is stripped off the tree with steel tools, soaked in water, and beaten to make it flat and pliable. Indeed, incised stone bark beaters are a quite common artifact in prehistoric Mayan sites. The creation of bark cloth is largely an extinct activity today. There is no record of any groups within the Maya Highlands who still produce bark cloth. The Lacandon Maya still create bark cloth, but bark cloth produced by the Lacandon is almost exclusively directed toward the tourist industry.