Chatinos: The Fish Women and Men

The people of the useful words, "Ne´A Cha´F tnyäl," are heirs to the clouds and the whisper of the wind.

The elders say that they come from the deep waters and the fury of the sea; they say that they were originally fish and after asking Father Sun he turned them into humans.

The woman's outfit consists of a sash that goes under the petticoat, a girdle, and a palm soyate that help tighten women's waists after childbirth or protect them when they perform heavy work in the field.

The petticoat is colorful. There is the short petticoat with ruffles and tucks and the long petticoat with tucks.

To be a Chatino is to go and light candles for the Holy Hill, for the Holy Basin, for the Snake of the Mist, for the rivers and for the Stone of the Sun.

Their territory, environment, and landscape are part of their identity and their link with the sea and nature.

The man wears manta breeches, a poplin or satin shirt with eye-catching colors, a wool hat, argan huaraches, and a scarf on the neck embroidered with animals from the region.

In the embroidery of men's clothes appear the tonas or some animal that they admire for their strength and value such as eagles, jaguars, or deer.