The most common design motifs from Classic and contemporary times derive from natural surroundings and geometric patterns that symbolize natural phenomena such as hills or snakes. Contemporary design motifs, however, include a greater percentage of "natural surrounding" motifs than in the past. These motifs include a multitude of flora and fauna native to Guatemala and Mexico.

Spiny Star Design

The spiny star design (as it is termed by Walter F. Morris Jr.) is a geometric motif formed by an equilateral diamond outlined by "stairs" in the form of triangles. This symmetrical motif is found on a brocaded open weave tunic worn by a high status dignitary painted on a wall mural at the Classic site of Bonampak. This tunic is made out of transparent cotton gauze. Incorporated into the outfit are jade ear spools, a jade necklace with medallions, and jaguar skin pelts tied around his hair. The present day equivalent can be seen on huipils worn by the women from Venustiano Carranza (San Bartolome de las Llanos), Chiapas, and women's cintas or head wraps (Morris 1984, Weitlaner-Johnson 1976).

Sky Band

The sky band is another motif that is found in both contemporary and Classic Maya textiles. It is a long band composed of a series of rectangular glyphs representing celestial bodies. The ancient Maya used this symbol to act as bases, platforms, or thrones on Codex style vases. It is thought to have personified the snake that formed the frame around the Maya world (Bassie-Sweet 1991: 146). This motif is noticeable along the sleeve edges of the huipil on Lady Xoc of Lintel 24 and Lintel 26 from the site of Yaxchilan. A modern day analog of the sky band is the cinta.

Toads

Depictions of toads are common in Maya textiles. Past and present, these animals are associated with rain and fertility. In the Maya Lowlands, the coming of rain is announced by the emergence of toads and their croaking sound. As Morris explains in A Millennium of Weaving in Chiapas, "while the toad sings at the mouth of the Earthlord's mountain cave, the Earthlord's daughters dutifully fluff cotton which will be transformed by a bolt of lightning into rain clouds." These amphibians are said to be the guardians of the rain god's cave (Guiteras-Holmes 1961: 192). They appear in stylized form on modern textiles from Tenejapa and Magdalenas, Chiapas. The same stylized toad can also be found on the huipil worn by Lady Xoc on Lintel 26 of Yaxchilan (Schele 1990: 267, Morris 1984).

Diamond/Universe/4 Corners

The diamond shaped design may be the most common design theme in both contemporary and Pre-Columbian times: "technically and aesthetically it is simple to weave, to embroider, and to elaborate" (Weitlaner-Johnson 1976). The shape of the diamond represents the quadrilateral Maya world characterized by its distinctive four corners. Each corner represents one of the four cardinal directions: east, north, west, and south. Inside the center is another smaller diamond or geometric shape that represents the sun. Examples of this design motif can be seen on textiles from Chichicastenango, San Andres Larrainzar, Magdalenas Chiapas, Chamula, Bachajon, Bochil, San Pedro Chenalho, and various other communities in Mexico and Guatemala (Morris 1984). Classic period depictions of this motif are shown on the huipils of Lady Xoc from Lintel 24 and Lady 6-Tun from Lintel 15 of Yaxchilan (Schele 1990: 267, 287). They are also found on the edges of textile offerings in the polychrome vase in Nebaj Style (Coe: 1978) and the clothing of elite members of society painted on vases (No. 2698, No. 1728, No. 2698, No. 717, and No.2772 Kerr 1989).

Crosses/XX's

Morris claims that the crosses portrayed in the textiles of Magdalenas, Chiapas represent the four corners of the earth, thus representing the four cardinal directions (Morris 1987: 17). Crosses are also seen to symbolize the world tree with its branches and roots transcending the layers of the universe. In many modern Maya villages, the cross contains protective powers and is placed at crossroads or at sacred areas of the natural landscape (Bassie-Sweet 1996: 41-43). Along with the crosses found in modern day huipils of Magdalenas, Chiapas (Morris 1987; Fig. 389-90 Weitlaner-Johnson: 1976), they are also seen inside the quadrilateral universe motifs of the huipils worn by Lady Balam of Ix Witz in Lintel 17 of Yaxchilan, Lady Xoc in Lintel 24 of Yaxchilan, Lady Evening Star in Lintel 32 of Yaxchilan, and Lady 6-Tun in Lintel 15 of Yaxchilan (Schele 1990: 267, 287,292). A high status woman in a Classic period vase (File No. 1563) also wears a huipil with plain crosses; it lacks the diamond shape that often surrounds them (Kerr 1989: 99).

Zig Zag

The Zig Zag motif can be seen without accompanying iconography or with geometric shapes in the remaining empty space. Plain zig zags like those on the huipil from Tziscao, Trinitaria, Chiapas (Fig. 412) are said to symbolize "cerritos," little hills (Weitlaner-Johnson 1976: 53), lukol, "squiggly," or be chon, "path of the snake" (Morris 1987: 12). The zig zags with circles or geometric shapes also symbolize be chon in the modern garments from Magdalenas (Morris 1987) and Chichicastenango (Berlo 1982 Fig. 14). The discussion of snake symbolism in Maya iconography is quite extensive. Above all, the serpent is found to personify the sky. In fact the words "sky" and "serpent" are often used interchangeably as they are viewed as the same thing (Bassie Sweet 1991: 138). Zigzags are also said to represent lightning or the path taken by Maya priests as they climb up the steep temple steps (Schevill 1985: 20). In a Classic period vase from the San Acasaguastlan Region, Guatemala, three men appear to be paying tribute to a lord using cloth; one of the textiles has a distinctive snake path pattern (Coe 1978: 124-127).