THE 20 MOST IMPORTANT TYPICAL GUATEMALAN COSTUMES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The typical costumes of Guatemala represent the rich and colorful cultural variety of this country. This is because its population is largely of Mayan heritage and its color and traditional costumes can be seen in different parts of the country.

Guatemala is a small country, however, it has a great cultural diversity within the Mayan communities. This is an obvious element when analyzing the variety of designs of typical costumes, worn mainly by Guatemalan women.

Each style is representative of a sector of each region. Even men in some areas wear traditional costumes that include special hats, knee-length pants, and fabrics decorated with bird prints.

Each textile garment is unique and most are hand-woven with variations in the seams. Some of these garments can be seen and sold in textile stores and markets. Today, you can even find bags, blankets, and other items made with the traditional fabrics used for the typical Guatemalan costumes.

Undoubtedly, the colorful robed people of America are found in the Mayan highlands of Guatemala.

While in many parts of the world the costumes and clothing of the natives have fallen into disuse, in Guatemala there is still a large percentage of the population of indigenous tradition that still wears the typical costumes derived from the Mayan heritage.

In general, the garments traditionally worn in Guatemala are the same (huipiles, cuts, belts, tzute, ribbons, pants and knee pads), but their design and lightness in the fabric vary from one region to another, which allows differentiating the different cultural groups still present in Guatemala.

Typical costumes of Guatemala

1- Blouses or huipiles

Detail of a huipil.

Mayan blouses are called huipiles or güipiles. A huipil is woven by hand on a loom. The women weavers generally spend several hours a day sitting on their lap weaving the panels to make the huipiles. The manufacture of a huipil can take up to six months.

Each garment is unique and is decorated with a variety of designs and symbols, each with a religious meaning. The symbols used can be diamonds that represent the universe, the path of the sun and its daily movement that includes the four cardinal points.

Sometimes a weaver sews small representations of her nahual (animal-shaped witch doctor) in a discreet location on the garment, in order to always have it close by. Among the K'iche 'Maya culture. Each person has her own nahual that watches over and protects her.

There are variations of garments based on the weather, in mountainous regions where the temperature is cold, huipiles can be thick and heavy to keep their wearer warm. Some huipiles can weigh more than two kilograms. In warmer regions the huipil can be light and airy in design.

2- Skirts or cuts

Skirt with different details. Source: Daderot via Wikimedia Commons)

Skirts or cuts are generally woven on a pedal loom and are usually made by men.

The fabric is much wider, longer and thinner than that of the huipil. A cut is a skirt that is wrapped around the waist and is made like a tube by joining the opposite ends of the fabric. When there is excess material, it is rolled around the body and folded at the waist in folds, later it is tied with a girdle or belt.

The women buy the fabric of the cut by the meter and then join its ends and decorate the seams according to their needs.

The fabric from which the cut is made depends on the particular style of the region. Sometimes the fabric is tied and dyed to achieve unique patterns. The resulting skirts of this technique are known for having an Ikat design. In other regions, skirts have rows of flowers or animal designs across the fabric.

The seam used to join the cut is called randa. The randa can be decorative and made by hand or on a sewing machine. Depending on the region, the cut can be knee length or ankle length, with many yards of fabric wrapped around the wearer.

3- Straps or girdles

Sash (red). Source: Daderot Daderot via Wikimedia Commons)

To sustain the cut it is necessary to wear a girdle. This garment is usually long (between two and three meters) and is woven and decorated by hand.

Sometimes the sashes are thin and can have simple designs, other times, they are slightly wider and elaborately decorated with intricate details and tassels at the ends.

In many areas of Guatemala, the sash has decorations similar to those found on huipiles from the same region. Although in some towns women prefer machine-embroidered girdles. Most of the machine embroidery work is done by men using pedal sewing machines.

4- Tzute

Source: José Luis Filpo Cabana via Wikimedia Commons)

The tzute is a multipurpose garment made of fabric that comes in various sizes. Women can be seen wearing these heavy-duty functional garments, suitable for carrying babies, covering food baskets, covering their heads to enter church, or covering from the glare of the sun.

The tzutes are generally made on looms and are made of one or two plates that are sewn to be joined by means of rows. Sometimes this sewing process is decorative with hand-made or machine-made flourishes. Other times, sewing is simple and uniquely functional.

Men also wear tzutes for formal and religious occasions. There are minor differences in the design of men's and women's tzutes.

Often times, men's tzutes have tassels and ribbons at the corners. However, tzutes in general have geomorphic decorations similar to those that can be found on huipiles.

5- Tape

Source: Acrinaldi via Wikimedia Commons)

Nowadays, many women of Mayan tradition in Guatemala have begun to incorporate huipiles from different regions as costumes for daily use.

However, the headband they wrap around their heads is one of the few accessories that can give visitors an idea of ​​where the women came from.

The tapes are long, measuring more than two meters. Some are narrow and measure less than three centimeters, and others are wider, reaching 10 centimeters thick.

The ribbons are usually made of intricate weavings and tell a story in their patterns and designs. In the same village, the way a woman wraps the headband indicates whether she is single, married, has children, or is a matriarch.

6- Pants

Source: Daderot Daderot via Wikimedia Commons)

Although the tradition of men to wear traditional garments has been lost over time, in many parts of Guatemala men can still be seen wearing traditional costumes from each region of the country. Some wear elaborate pants, especially around the Lake Atitlán area.

Many of the men's pants are handwoven by women on looms, and are designed in a similar way to huipiles.

Some of the pants are short and reach only the bottom of the knee. This type of pants is generally ornamented with embroidery of birds and flowers. In other parts of the country, you can find long, less ornate pants, covered with woolen knee pads.

7- Knee pads

Knee pad in brown and white. Source: Murray Foubister via Wikimedia Commons)

The knee pad is a woolen fabric that is wrapped over men's pants. It is generally worn in the Sololá region and is said to protect men while working in the fields, keeping them warm when the temperature drops dramatically in the morning or late at night.

Some older men can be seen wearing their knee brace without wearing pants during the warmer days of the year.

The fabric of the knee pads is thick and suitable for heavy duty use. It is made from unrefined wool, making it stiff, starchy and resistant. Sometimes these knee pads have small decorations that represent the local area.

8- Costumes by region

Source: Falcor uxmal via Wikimedia Commons

In Guatemala, each costume represents a town or region and is related to a group and language descended from the Mayans. There are dozens of Mayan peoples and 21 groups with different ethnolinguistic characteristics, each representing particular indigenous traditions.

Many men in Guatemala wear western-style clothing, as it is much cheaper than traditional clothing. The women are more faithful to traditions and wear their traditional clothes to show their attributes when they are looking for a husband.

9- Nebaj

Source: Daderot Daderot via Wikimedia Commons)

Nebaj women wear a red cut with yellow stripes, supported by a sash. They also wear a huipil profusely decorated with embroidery and striking designs. They carry a tzute on their shoulders and a cleverly decorated headband.

The men wear an open jacket and a hat made of palm. They also wear western-style pants and sweaters.

10- Santiago Atitlán

Source: Reinhard Jahn, Mannheim via Wikimedia Commons

Men in Santiago wear shorts, as they spend a lot of time fishing, sailing their boats, collecting nets, and doing lake-related activities. Women, on the other hand, wear purple huipiles with white stripes, embroidered with elegant figures of animals, birds, and flowers.

The most striking feature of these suits is their long ribbon that wraps the women's heads like a disc.

11- San Juan Sacatepéquez

Source: Tracy Barnett via Wikimedia Commons

In the Department of Sacatepéquez, the Kaqchikel women sitting in the plaza wear purple and gold huipiles characteristic of their region.

12- Aguacatán

Source: Ariel Fredy via Wikimedia Commons

In the Department of Huehuetenango, the ribbon is very important for women. In the towns of the Maya highlands, one of the most beautiful ribbons is that of the women of Aguacatán. This is handcrafted, five to seven centimeters wide and highly decorated with brocades and large tassels.

13- Sacapulas

Source: Ericwaltr via Wikimedia Commons

In Quiché you can find narrow ribbons with large pompoms that, when viewed from the front, represent the most characteristic element of the Sacapulas costumes.

14- Santa Catarina Palopó

Source: vasse nicolas, antoine via Wikimedia Commons

In Sololá, next to Lake Altitlán, it is normal to find huipiles of red or blue color, covered in colored embroidery with geometric shapes. This region is characterized because its garments have acquired a modern touch in their design, adding more and more geometric details.

15- San Pedro la Laguna

Source: Cristina Zapata Pérez via Wikimedia Commons

The suits in this region are manufactured in an industrial way. In this way, it is common to see women in the Plaza de San Pedro la Laguna selling fabrics produced on a large scale for commercial purposes. The huipiles and fabrics found here are distributed throughout the country.

16- All saints Cuchumatán

Source: Alejandro Linares Garcia via Wikimedia Commons

Here the men wear red pants with white stripes, and dark blue and black wool knee pads.

Todos Santos, next to Sololá is one of the towns in Guatemala where knee pads can still be seen on men, mainly during ceremonies and celebrations.

17- San Juan Atitán

Source: Hermann Luyken via Wikimedia Commons

In this mountain village both men and women wear elegant suits of red cloth. The men wear yellow straw hats and their shirts are straight cut without a collar.

Garments are worn in two layers, sewn on the edges. The pants are plain white and the men carry handbags like utility bags.

18- San Mateo Ixtatán

Source: Alejandro Linares Garcia via Wikimedia Commons

This town is on the border with Mexico and its people wear voluminous huipiles, made up of two layers of white cotton fabric, heavily decorated with embroidery on the inside and outside.

The embroidery starts at the neck circle and contains large stars. This type of garment is ideal for the cold.

19- Solola

Source: Murray Foubister via Wikimedia Commons)

In Sololá it is common to see people traditionally dressed. The color red is dominant and the men wear striped pants and shirts.

In this region it is common to see that the wool is tied and dyed before starting the weaving process. In this way, blurry patterns are obtained with variations in color intensity.

20- Nahualá

Source: Hubertl via Wikimedia Commons

People in Nahualá wear woolen skirts instead of pants. Men's shirts are dark or bright red and finished with gold embroidery on the cuffs and collars.

21- Chichicastenango

Source: Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art via Wikimedia Commons

Chichi is a popular market where you can see typical Guatemalan costumes. Chichi huipiles are recognized because they have the sun in their design around the neck. Men always wear an elegant suit known as Maxeño.

22- Zacualpa

Source: Murray Foubister via Wikimedia Commons

In Zacualpa you can find colorful huipiles made of soft threads with zigzag patterns. The huipiles have a purple yoke and a red, yellow and green pattern under it. The use of tzutes is common here.

23- San Martin Sacatepéquez

Source: Murray Foubister via Wikimedia Commons)

Men in San Martín wear long white trousers, supported by a heavily embroidered red sash. This combination is one of the most characteristic of the typical costumes for men in Guatemala.

Others

Each department of Guatemala is divided into multiple regions where other types of typical costumes can be found.

The most common are found in the departments of Alta and Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenango, Sacatepéquez, Sololá, Totonicapán. Each one being highly colorful and rich in elements of the Mayan tradition.

Unfortunately, the use of these costumes is less and less common, especially among men of the Mayan tradition in Guatemala.

References

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2. Connect, Q. (2017). Cultural Dress of the Maya. Retrieved from Mayan Women's Dress: questconnect.org.
3. Deuss, K. (1990). In K. Deuss, Indian Costumes from Guatemala (p. 72). United Kingdom.
4. Osborne, L. d. (1965). In L. d. Osborne, Indian Crafts of Guatemala and El Salvador (p. 385). Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press.
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7. (November 25, 2014). Wskamai. Obtained from TRADITIONAL GUATEMALAN WARDROBE: wakamiusa.com.