Men also wear tradition clothing, though not as frequently as the women. In some communities there is an obvious similarity between the fabrics used for the men and the women, either in preferred colors or patterns. Although we took this picture in Chimaltenango, this man is clearly from Todos Santos. The red-striped pants are a giveaway, as is the hat with a small, flat brim and the colored band. If we saw him from the front we would also see a very unusual, wide, colored collar on the shirt.
This man in Sololá wears a skirt-type wrap. They actually call it an apron, and it can be worn either with or without the long pants underneath. That depends on the weather! It is always brown and white, usually a checked fabric that is just wrapped around the waist. The western hat is also typically worn in this town.
We have seen few young men or boys wear these traditional clothing, which is sad because it is beautiful and may be a dying custom. This man in Santiago had shorts with embroidery on each leg, not unlike the embroidery on the women's quipiles. In fact we've heard that in some towns the women will stitch the same designs on her husband's pants and her guipile...sort of a "matched set."
