Lying in a lush, green valley beyond Teopisca, a sizable Ladino market town, is the Tzeltal village of Amatenango del Valle. It takes just over an hour to drive from San Cristobal to Amatenango via the Pan-American Highway. The highway passes to the north of the village, and all along the road are stalls and permanent structures where the famous ceramics of Amatenango are sold.
The colorful red and orange one-web huipiles of Amatenango women are unique among the Maya of the highlands of Chiapas. We feel that there are strong similarities in the design and decoration of the Amatenango huipiles and the huipiles of the various ethnic groups that live in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec of Oaxaca (See the Tehuana and Guichicovi dolls in the Doll Gallery). Was there influence from the Isthmus or a common ancestral garment? With the huipiles, women wear medium blue skirts that differ from the indigo tube skirts of other communities. The material for the skirts is purchased in San Cristobal, not made in Amatenango. The red sashes worn in this community are the widest that we have seen anywhere in the Chiapas highlands. Many women also wrap their hair in head-cloths, often of a blue, plaid material. For everyday wear, many women and girls wear embroidered blouses that are similar to the blouses of nearby Aguacatenango.