"Really, this show is focusing on pieces never made for the tourist market but very traditional to the indigenous people," DiPlacido said.

She explained there are four parts to the traditional woman's outfit, or traje: the boxy blouse up top called the huipal, the ankle length skirt underneath, the apron, or delantal, worn over that, and a faje, or embroidered belt, that ties it all together.

For centuries, each Mayan village cultivated a distinctive visual tradition, a point of pride and handy visual guide announcing a woman's hometown when she traveled in the region.

But Mayans have acquired smart phones and satellite dishes just like the rest of us, and this exhibition is keen to show how the tradition has adapted to changing modern tastes.

Today, cloth is often purchased instead of woven by backstrap loom. Huipals and delentales now feature computer generated designs, sparkly rhinestones, and even cell phone pockets.

Mayan women also no longer feel constrained to represent their village with their dress. They're free to wear designs of all kinds, and do. That said, there's a keen awareness of how their tradition has been culturally appropriated by non-indigenous designers and even the Guatemalan government, keen to use the art form to promote tourism.

That's despite its historic neglect of indigenous Guatemalans, who make up approximately 40 percent of the population but account for 80 percent of the country’s poor.

The Guatemalan Civil War that raged between 1960 and 1996 disproportionately victimized Mayans, and that's a history you see reflected in the clothing as well. "The political upheaval changed the style of dress," noted DiPlacido, adding something as basic as dyes were made of what was available.

The antique textiles have been through a lot: wear, washing, war. There are items that date to the 1850s, "but past that, you don't usually see them anymore, because they do tend to wear down," DiPlacido said.

The museum has posted explanatory text in English and Spanish, but perhaps it was a bridge too far to add Mam to the mix. Mam is a Mayan language spoken by about half a million people in throughout Central America.



Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, there are just a few thousand Mam speakers. You can bet many of them will be making their way to this exhibition in the coming months.

Mayan Traje: A Tradition in Transition runs July 21 - October 13, 2019 at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. For more information, click here.