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• Maya clothes helped people identify between the richer and the poorer people in Maya society.

• Fabrics were an important part of religious beliefs and art.

• Women were the traditional weavers in Maya society.

• Some of the earliest Maya weaving dates to 1000 - 800 BC.

• The Maya weavers worked mainly with cotton, which had to be washed and picked clean of seeds. This was hard work!

• Cotton was associated with richer people.

• The cotton was often dyed to make multi-coloured clothes.

• Dyes were made of insects, shellfish, indigo and plants.

• Richer women worked with feathers and pearl beads. They had to learn to weave tapestries and brocade (a rich decorated fabric).

• Men typically wore a loincloth around the waist with sometimes a cotton sleeveless shirt.

• Women wore a huipil, a loose-fitting tunic with an opening for the head and arms, or a traje which reached to the floor, held in a place by a faja, or sash.

• The huipil and traje are still worn today in Mexican culture.

• Men and women wore sandals, the farmers wore moccasins.

• Many women wore their hair long and in braids.

• The priests and nobles wore decorative items such as jewellery.

• Jewellery could be made from jade, wood or bone.

• The deities (gods) were identified by their clothing and so were the humans imitating their appearance.

• The Maize god was an example of this, who wore a netted overskirt made of green jade beads and a belt made of shell.

• The Maize god was represented by kings and queens.

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