​Walter F. Morris Jr. 

Tradition

Modern brocaded designs and styles of dress originated over a thousand years ago, in the Classic Maya period. I therefore assumed that Maya textiles would remain the same, or else disappear. But young and innovative Maya weavers have proven me wrong. Ironically, some observers view the current florescence as an omen of imminent decay.They mistakenly regard the textiles I collected decades ago as the “real” tradition and the new fashions as an abandonment of tradition.