Textiles have been an important part of the Mayan social fabric since the pre-classic period during which they were used by the elite to represent status and deity-like personifications. In modern-day Guatemala they are primarily used as garments; however, their use has also been extended to the thriving handicraft industry where they are used to adorn furniture, utensils, decorative objects, and, as per our subject of interest, worry dolls. The textiles seen in modern-day Guatemala have a long social history in Mayan communities, and play an important role in the social and cultural fabric of society.
The most prevalent textile in Maya society is a lightweight cotton garment known as huipil that is worn by Guatemalan women. It is generally made from white or brown cloth and is adorned using the brocade technique with colourful zigzagging patterns. Designs are specific to the home community of the person wearing the huipil, and it is possible to identify a woman’s tribe, community, and social status by observing the design of the huipil that she is wearing.
The huipil, while traditionally used as a garment, is often extended to the design of Mayan handicrafts in modern-day Guatemala. Worry dolls, as discussed, are adorned with huipil cloth of a variety of colours and designs, and as such it is possible to link authentic hand-made dolls (i.e., those not mass produced for tourist consumption) to the community in which they were produced.
So why worry dolls? Why the peculiarity of the name? Worry dolls are part of a long Mayan folk tradition centred around indigenous religious mysticism. The dolls a given to children who are plagued by nightmares or who are unable to fall asleep. A child to whom the doll is given is instructed to confess all of his worries to the doll, and as such the doll will take on the responsibility of removing all worries and fears from the child's head. Hence, the name of the dolls in Spanish: muñecas quitapenas; literally, 'dolls that take away worries.'
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