Yucatan Handcrafts:

The men and women who delight us with their hands turn Yucatan crafts into true works of art. A good example of this is the bright and colorful filigree jewelry in gold and silver.

Coral, cocoyol and henequén (a type of agave) thorn are also used to make jewelry such as necklaces and earrings used by women to embellish their beautiful clothing of ternos and huipiles.

The Huipil, traditional dress for Yucatan women, is made with with cotton fabric and beautiful cross stitch embroidery of flowers around the square cleavage and the hem. It is used along a skirt known as fustán, with lace peeking from beneath around the hem.

The formal dress is called Terno, and has three pieces: a huipil, a jubón – a kind of square neck piece with an embroidered border along the hem – and the fustán,- which has a see through embroidered band and ends in lace -. The suit is complemented with white or embroidered slippers, gold and coral filigree necklaces, and a headdress of lace and flowers for the Santa María hairdo and shawl.
 

Another common piece of clothing, this one by men, is the traditional and elegant “guayabera”, made with various materials; those made of linen and cotton are of best quality. By the end of the XIX century this piece of clothing was used by high class Yucatan men who brought it directly from Cuba, where it was made; however, as demand grew higher, a group of Yucatan visionaries decided to manufacture it here. With time, use of the guayabera became popular, and the phrase “Yucatan is the gate to the Mayan world, and Merida the world capital of the guayabera” was born.

And just like in Merida people live and dress in huipiles, ternos or guayaberas, they also sleep and dream in hammocks, which are hanged in any room that has the traditional metal or wooden hangers, like the ones that were used in the haciendas. In the town of Tixkokob, east of Merida, the region’s best hammocks can be bought, in stands or directly at the homes of the craftsmen who make them entirely by hand.

Wood is another element ofte used in the creation of crafts in the state. In the town of Dzityá, north of Merida, they make countless items out of guayacán wood, which is characterized by its hardness and has given said town fame and renown, for giving the best use to this material in an unparalleled way with their furniture and ornaments.

Besides jewelry, hammocks, wooden items and traditional clothing, it is important to mention that in the towns of Hunucmá and Ticul, the best leather footwear of the region is made; on the other hand, the “jipi” or “panama” hat, a craft of great quality, is made in Halachó, a town in the border with Campeche.

As we can see, items are made all along Yucatan with the most various materials, designs and colors, which are not only useful, but give beauty and elegance to our surroundings.