A Designer’s Glossary for Traditional Textiles from Guatemala

Traditional Textiles

Huipil: (Pronounced “wee-peel”) A traditional blouse that is made by weaving 2-3 panels on the backstrap loom. Each panel is then joined together to make a top. One Huipil can require 1-6 months to make depending the technique!

Corte: (Pronounced “KOHR-teh”) A traditional skirt woven on a floor loom now a days. A length of fabric is folded around the waist and secured with a belt.

Faja: (Pronounced “fa”hah”) The handwoven belt used to secure a corte to the waist.

Randa: An embroidered joinery stitch used to join two pieces of cloth in a decorative way.

Sute: (Pronounced “soo-tay”) A piece of cloth used as a decorative accessory or used to carry things.

Cinta: (Pronounced “seen-tah”) A narrow woven piece of cloth worn as a hair piece in San Antonio Palopó (different regions have different names for decorative pieces worn on the head).

techniques

Woven: Fabric created using threads that cross interlace in vertical and horizontal directions

Warp: Threads set up in the vertical direction on the loom to create a woven fabric. The warp threads are set up as the first step to weaving and act as a base.

Weft: Threads that go in the horizontal direction on the loom. This thread is added during the weaving process above and below each warp thread.

Embroidery: Thread is added to a fabric using a needle.

Brocade: Additional warp threads are placed at interval points during the weaving process to add color or create images.

Jaspe: (Pronounced “hahs-PAY”) Similar to Ikat, where a tie-dye technique is applied to threads before weaving.

Tapestry: A weft facing weaving technique where images are created via discontinuous weft threads. Usually these textiles are thicker.

Crochet: A series of loops connected together row by row by using a hook to pull one loop of yarn through another loop.

wEAVING pROCESS

Thread Winder: The Thread Winder is the first step in the weaving process and helps the weaver to convert a skein of thread into cones or balls of thread.

Warping Stand: The second step in floor loom weaving is to organize the warp threads on a warping stand. This is where the weaver can start to lay out stipes in the warp.

Warp Mill or Warp Board: A crucial step to building the foundation for any handwoven fabric. This is the stage where stripes are created and the warp threads are organized so that they will not tangle when the loom is set up. There is a LOT of math that goes into this process. We leave that to the experts...

Loom Preparation: The threads are hand placed through different loops attached to bars that will be lifted during the weaving process. This is a very time intensive process where the design of a fabric starts to take shape.

Weaving: This is where the magic happens! Where the weavers add their own vision and personality. Where texture, color, and patterns come to life.

Words to be Careful With

Artisan: Don’t say “Our Artisans” unless they are on your full time employee payroll. Some artisans prefer to be called artists! Just ask how they prefer to identify, give them a voice.

Designer: You might be the designer of your brand, but unless you are a weaver of the Maya culture, you are not the designer of traditionally woven designs from Guatemala. Be sure to give credit to the communities or weavers where the design originates.

Inspired: “Traditional-inspired” without true collaboration risks cultural appropriation. Be transparent.

Upcycled Huipil: A greenwashing term often used to romanticize the resale or reuse of traditional garments. In reality, huipiles are rarely, if ever, discarded. When they appear in secondhand markets, it can sometimes be because a weaver has been forced—by poverty or lack of economic opportunity—to sell a piece of clothing deeply tied to her identity, community, and ancestral knowledge. Referring to these as “upcycled” erases the difficult choices and systemic inequities behind their resale. Be mindful of how this term is used and who profits from it.

Sustainable: Just chose a more specific word and educate people on everything that goes behind your product.

Ethical: Also a tricky one this is nuanced. Try to be more specific with something you can back up. We like to say “responsibly sourced”. For us, responsibility means: transparency, thorough research, and honesty when we can do better.