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Mexico · Traditions · Hard

What is the name of the ceremonial cloth, woven on a backstrap loom by Maya women in the highlands of Chiapas, that serves both as a daily garment and a sacred textile whose diamond patterns represent the cosmos and the four cardinal points?

The huipil is a rectangular tunic whose weaving can take months — each village has its own distinct design language, and the patterns encode the wearer's community identity, marital status and spiritual beliefs.

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