The Women Before Us

The Women Before Us Synopsis

What lies behind the brilliant colors and intricate patterns of a traditional Mayan tunic? A Guatemalan girl reveals the ways a handwoven garment connects her to generations of women before her.

Together, the threads in my huipil
hold a message,
tell a story
of who we are.

Of who I am.

A young girl proudly wears a colorful tunic, or huipil, that features the sun's reflection. It symbolizes the lake she lives on, a design she sometimes embellishes with shimmering sequins and beads. Her abuela's huipil highlights zigzag mountains to stand for her home of origin, while her sister's boasts butterflies like the ones that she rides in her daydreams.

Indigenous to Mesoamerica, huipils use colors, imagery, symbols, and motifs to evoke everything from the wearer's village to her social status, from her cultural heritage to the things that she loves. Combining a poetic text with vivid cut paper and digitally painted illustrations, interwoven with patterns from the huipils, this captivating book ends with an author's note exploring the history and process of this rich tradition, and the challenges of keeping it alive.