The Guatemalan huipil, pronounced "wee-peel,", is a garment woven and worn by Mayan women from Chiapas in Mexico through the highlands of Guatemala.  A huipil is a loose-fitting tunic with openings for the head and arms.  Mayan huipils are generally made from one to three rectangular pieces of fabric woven on a backstrap loom. The complex weaving patterns are specific to a particular village while many of the designs can be traced back to ancient Mayan times.  It can take up to six months to complete the fabric for a huipil.

This huipil is from Comalapa.  The red stripe at the shoulders is typical of designs from this village as are the repeated horizontal stripes and brown background cloth.  The top stripe of birds and fruit (grapes, oranges, etc.) is probably derived from a European cross stitch pattern.  The huipil also has two stripes of stylized birds and one with a geometric figure often found on Comalapa huipils.  The figure represents the rupan plato, an ancient and prestigious symbol for a plate used for ceremonial offerings of fruit and bread to promote a good harvest.