When marriages were negotiated, the bride's skill at weaving was an important factor in determining the marriage gifts to her family. Beautiful woven fabric was both an artistic expression and a source of wealth, often given as tribute to rulers. Weaving fine clothing was the purview of noble women. No costume was complete without an elaborate headdress with waving feathers and jewels. Jewelry was worn abundantly, including large pendants, heavy necklaces, wrist and ankle cuffs, and huge earrings made of jade, jadeite, amber, quartz, alabaster, sea shells and pearls. Women wore belts decorated with shells, metallic discs, seeds and pods. In ancient times, the ypil often left arms and shoulders bare, anchored with borders above the breasts. This dress is called ypil (huipil) and is still worn by modern-day Mayas. Maya women wore shift dresses that hung to mid-calf and were adorned by borders around the neck, sleeves and hem. A backstrap loom was used to weave patterns, usually glyphs, geometric shapes, plants and flowers.

They used spinning whorls to create thread that was dyed vibrant red, yellow, green, and blue.

The Mayas cultivated cotton and used natural dyes from plant, animal and mineral sources. Weaving colorful cotton fabric was an art form among high ranking ancient Mayan women.

Ancient mayan glyphs symbols