CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTHWEST GUATEMALA—McBRYDE 49 
(probably fine-woven cotton), breeches of light 
woolen cloth, shoes or boots, hat, and cloak of colored 
cloth. 
MODERN COSTUMES 
MEN’S DRESS 
Lake Atitlan region.—In certain sections of 
Guatemala today, notably the region of Lake Atitlan, 
men’s dress is picturesque and varied, inhabitants of 
each district being readily identifiable at a glance (pls. 
6, 7,8). In nearly all of the Lake villages they wear 
short, full trousers, of white cotton, usually decorated 
with bright-colored stripes or embroidery or both, 
knee-length or slightly longer,"® and held up by means 
of a long, broad, tasseled belt of colored cotton (there 
may be a leather belt in addition), with no buttons 
of any sort. These are hand-woven, ordinarily by 
the wearer’s wife, on a native stick loom (pl. 9). In 
many instances slip-over blouses with long, full 
sleeves are worn, in which the same material is used 
(at least in part) that goes into the trousers, the 
sleeves often being red; the material is gathered at 
neck and wrists. These are typical in Solola, San 
Antonio Palopé, and to some extent, Santa Catarina. 
As in most of the others, however, in the latter muni- 
cipio hand-woven blouses are being replaced by 
machine-stitched shirts, often grey-striped. Colored 
ones, with blue dash lines (jaspe threads), are often 
worn by Atitecos and particularly Pedranos, of whom 
they are most characteristic. In general, however, 
among the Lake villages as a whole, white, some- 
times lightly striped, is the commonest shirt color. 
Rodilleras——A peculiar feature of Guatemala In- 
dian men’s dress is the rodillera (from rodilla, knee) 
a fringed, knee-length, wrap-around skirt of light 
wool, having small black and white (or, more re- 
cently, blue and white) checks (pl. 7, a, b, d, e, 0). 
About 2 by 3 feet, this garment is usually wrapped 
to reach to or below the knees, the fringed ends 
meeting at one side in front (Solola, Santa Cruz, 
Panajachel) or at the rear (Solola, San Antonio 
Palopé, Nahuala—Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan; pl. 4, 
d). There are different methods of wrapping and 
gathering them, sometimes even within the same 
municipio (as in Solola; pl. 7, a,b). Generally, they 
are secured by a leather belt. Often an extra one is 
carried, as in Solola and Panajachel, folded and slung 
over the black-and-white knit wool bag (Solola) or 
7% Jt has been suggested several times (La Farge and Byers, 1931, 
p. 34, e. g.) that the short cotton pants are derived from early Spanish 
underwear. 
654162—47—_5 
maguey-fiber string-bag (Panajachel, Santa Catarina 
Palopo). Men knit wool bags, generally with geo- 
especially depicting animals, at 
Solola and Chichicastenango. In Santa Catarina 
Palopé the rodillera is no longer worn as a wrap, 
but is carried, as explained above, over the bag 
or folded over the shoulder. At San Andrés Seme- 
tabaj, Patzum, and other sections even as far from 
the Lake area as San Juan Ostuncalco, the rodillera 
(later style) is worn over long white trousers, as in 
Panajachel. In some cases it is merely folded in 
front, like an apron (Tecpan; pl. 12, a). 
Rodilleras are worn or carried only in the villages 
along the north and east shores (or sides) of the 
Lake, excepting in San Pablo and Santa Lucia Utat- 
lan. From south and west they are totally lacking. 
The old-style vodillera has heavy black and white 
checks (pl. 13, 6). Newer ones have smaller checks, 
usually blue and white (pl. 7, d, e). 
In many cases, the wrap covers the short trousers. 
Rodilleras do not cover trousers at Solola (or at 
Concepcion and San José Chacaya; see pl. 6) and 
Panajachel (many of the younger men here wear 
ankle-length white trousers), and those municipios 
where the rodillera is worn like an apron over long 
pants. 
Coats.—Coats of European cut, made of dark-blue 
wool, have been adopted within relatively recent years 
by natives of a number of the Lake municipios (San- 
tiago, San Pedro, San Juan, San Marcos, Santa 
Cruz, Panajachel, and occasionally San Antonio). 
The common old style was the capirai, a natural 
black wool jacket which reaches to the knees or be- 
low. Usually it is longer behind than in front, and 
the sides and inner sleeves are open, for free arm 
movement.*7 These are worn at Santa Cruz la 
Laguna (pl. 27, ¢). A shorter black wool jacket 
(“‘gaban”) is worn at Panajachel.** At San Antonio 
Palopo the long one is also worn when it is cold, but 
more often it is laid on the back as a pack cushion, 
with the sleeves thrown forward across the shoulders 
(pl. 7, 0), and it is worn ceremonially. 
Sololatecos still adhere to an old-style short wool 
coat, black and white striped and ornately trimmed, 
with a characteristic winged figure (pl. 17, a) em- 
metric. designs, 
77 This garment is probably an imitation of early priests’ robes. Most 
of them are woven in the sheep country of the Altos Cuchumatanes. 
Many are also worn there (especially at San Juan Atitan) and farther 
south (San Martin Sacatepequez). The ord capixai apparently de- 
rives from the Spanish capa, ‘mantle’ and saya, “tunic” or “robe.” 
78 Those of the Lake region are made from material woven in Nahuala 
and Chichicastenango, and sold chiefly at Solola. (For similar coats 
worn in the Cuchumatanes region, see pl. 37, b, d, e.) 
