Too often however, to be indigenous and a female, is to be disadvantaged. As Alan Riding states, in his book Distant Neighbours: “Proud of its Indian past, Mexico seems ashamed of its Indian present’. In Chiapas, for example, indigenous people were only granted the right to walk on the streets during the 1970s. Perhaps it is for this reason that some younger Triques prefer not to wear their traditional huipiles.

This does not mean however, that Trique women have forgotten how to make huipiles—for the time being at least. “My daughter learned to weave when she was four,” says Martinez. “She does have a huipile, but only wears it for special occasions.” Tourism, in part, is helping to maintain their weaving tradition, but is changing it in the process.

[More]