Quetzaltenango Outfit (Doll is included)

This beautiful outfit represents the beautiful town of Quetzaltenango also know as Xela. It was hand woven on a back-strap loom. The ensemble is topped with an elaborate headdress skillfully wrapped into the hair.

Undoubtedly the most colorfully costumed people in the Americas are the Highland Maya of Guatemala. While traditional native dress has disappeared in many parts of the world, Guatemala remains a place where a high percentage of the indigenous people still proudly wear their traditional dress, called traje. Moreover, in Guatemala, Maya traje is village-specific or language-group related. Thus, with dozens of Indian towns and villages, and 21 different Mayan ethnolinguistic groups represented, the variety of indigenous costume is truly dazzling.

About Quetzaltenango: Quetzaltenango is truly a beautiful city. Located high up in the Sierra Madres, at an elevation of 2,200 meters, Quetzaltenango is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, laced with narrow, cobblestone streets built for walking and filled with the colorful signs of Mayan culture. While indigenous culture has no boundaries in Guatemala, Xela rightly claims to be at the heart of everything Maya, beautiful in its diversity. Xela is second most important commercial city in the country and is the place where people come from small villages, many miles away, in order to sell their goods in the market. Women in their traditional traje fit in just as easily as men wearing smart-looking suits and carrying briefcases.