What makes Papalotl clothing authentic?

Every Papalotl garment is sourced directly from indigenous women's cooperatives in Chiapas, Mexico — never from intermediaries or mass manufacturers. The garments are made using traditional backstrap loom weaving and hand embroidery techniques that have been practiced by Tzotzil Mayan women for thousands of years. Papalotl is a Native-owned brand with over 20 years of indigenous cultural work through Huey Tlahtokan — La Gran Palabra — ChicagoAztlan.

What is the difference between a huipil and other Mayan garments?

A huipil is a tunic-style blouse constructed from hand-woven or hand-embroidered panels. A quechquemitl is a pre-Hispanic triangular cape, most sacred in the Tzotzil tradition and extremely rare. A jorongo is an open-sleeve poncho-style blouse. Each garment type originates from a specific community and carries its own symbolic and cultural meaning. Papalotl carries all three styles, along with belts, purses, and jewelry sourced from the same indigenous artisans.

Are Papalotl garments fair trade?

Yes. All Papalotl garments are Fair Trade, Indigenous Made, and Native Owned. We source directly from women's cooperatives, ensuring that the artisans who create each piece receive fair compensation for their labor and skill. Supporting Papalotl directly supports indigenous women's economic sovereignty in Chiapas.

How do I care for a handmade Tzotzil Mayan garment?

Handwoven and hand-embroidered garments require gentle care. Hand wash in cold water, hang dry, and iron on low heat inside out if needed. Dry cleaning is recommended for wool pieces such as the San Juan Chamula quechquemitl. Avoid machine washing — these are one-of-a-kind works of art, not mass-produced clothing.

Do you ship across the United States?

Yes. Papalotl ships throughout the contiguous United States with free shipping on orders over $200. A $20 flat rate applies to all other contiguous US orders. Alaska and Hawaii ship for a $25 flat rate. Most orders are dispatched within 2 business days via UPS or USPS.

What does Papalotl mean?

Papalotl is the Nahuatl word for butterfly — a symbol of transformation, beauty, and the continuity of life across cultures throughout Mesoamerica. The name reflects the mission of Huey Tlahtokan — to carry indigenous culture forward, thread by thread, generation by generation.

Papalotl Clothing is the indigenous clothing line of Huey Tlahtokan — La Gran Palabra ChicagoAztlan, a Native-owned organization founded in Chicago in 2004 with over 22 years of Aztec, Mexica, Mayan and other indigenous Mexican cultural diffusion and advocacy. Learn our story.

Huey Tlahtokan - La Gran Palabra ChicagoAztlan © — 22 Years of Cultural Heritage

Huey Tlahtokan - La Gran Palabra ChicagoAztlan © was founded in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago in 2004. That November, our founder hosted the first community based Indigenous Lecture Series with a Mexihca Teacher from Mexihco Tenochtitlan, aka Mexico City. Huey Tlahtokan started as a Academic Collective focused on the Cultural Diffusion of our Native Mexican Heritage that eventually morphed into something much bigger than anticipated.

Working with Indigenous Mexican Teachers from Mexihco, we organized cultural events such as Nahuatl language workshops, we started the Summer Solstice Aztec Dance Ceremony, hosted Art Expos, Film Festivals, Prehispanic Music Concerts, & Multimedia Cultural Events at the community, elementary, high school, and university level across the Midwest.

Our founder originally funded these events personally, and would sell books on Prehispanic Knowledge such as Astronomy, Philosophy, Mathematics, Codices, and small amounts of clothing and jade jewelry. Fortunately in 2005, we received major university sponsorship from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, the University of Iowa at Des Moines, the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, and the famous Notre Dame University. Afterwards things really took off.

It was at that point, our founder was able to put together a dedicated group of individuals working as a collective to function as a bridge between Chicago & Mexihco, actively supporting Native Mexican identity as a daily practice for the diaspora via Indigenous Cultural Diffusion. Through cultural education, they ensured that ancestral heritage remained a living, evolving reality rather than just a faded and forgotten memory.

Fast forward to 2022, rebranding the original Huey Tlahtokan website as www.chicagotitlan.com and now in 2024, adding papalotlclothing.com to its brand, we connected the high-quality craftsmanship of Chiapas artisans to the vibrant cultural landscape of Pilsen & beyond.

Huey Tlahtokan ~ La Gran Palabra is making it’s mission even more impactful and contemporary in 2026, by spreading this work beyond Chicago, we created a space where Prehispanic Knowledge, Pride, & Fashion share in the celebration of our ancestral knowledge and the physical artistry of the Mayan people as well.

THIS ISN’T JUST A BUSINESS, BUT A MOVEMENT FOR AUTONOMY & PRIDE.

A group of Indigenous people dressed in traditional attire participating in a cultural ceremony outdoors, with trees and a clear blue sky in the background.

FOUNDER IS BIG GUY IN MIDDLE STANDING BEHIND DRUM (HUEHUETL) AT THE 1ST ANNUAL SUMMER SOLSTICE AZTEC DANCE CEREMONY IN CHICAGOAZTLAN © IN 2005

A booth at an outdoor event with a striped tablecloth and a large two-tone banner featuring a black eagle and a yellow sun with a black animal silhouette. Two people are standing behind the table, which displays artwork and merchandise, with a sign on the left expressing gratitude to veterans.

FOUNDER ALONG WITH HIS OLDEST SON AT A COMMUNITY EVENT IN BACK OF THE YARDS CHICAGOAZTLAN © IN 2007 PROMOTING OUR PREHISPANIC CULTURE

Maestro Ocelocoatl after giving a multimedia presentation standing next to a sign for the Chicago Teachers Center at Northeastern Illinois University.

Our Spiritual Teacher Temachtiacatzin Ocelocoatl from Zemanahuak Tlamachtiloyan & Calpulli Tetzahuitl Tezcatlipoca in Mexihco Tenochtitlan - Mexico City at Northeastern Illinois Teachers Center after one of many university based multimedia presentations

Maestro Xavier Quijas Yxayot playing a traditional Mayan clay flute in the documentary Yxayotl music of Ancient Mexico. surrounded by various awards and film festival nominations related to indigenous prehispanic music

OUR OTHER SPIRITUAL TEACHER, THE LATE MAESTRO XAVIER QUIJAS YXAYOTL. A WORLD RECOGNIZED INDIGENOUS WIXARIKA - HUICHOL FLUTIST FROM ZAPOPAN GUADALAJARA MEXIHCO. OUR FOUNDER MADE AN AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY ON HIS LIFE & MUSIC. YOU CAN FIND HIS MUSIC ON SPOTIFY

An indoor event with a large audience seated on folding chairs, some people on stage, a person with a camera, and colorful lights on the wall. The date is June 10, 2007.

A man is standing behind a display of colorful clothing at an outdoor market stall, with white tents and trees in the background under a blue sky.

HUEY TLAHTOKAN ~LA GRAN PALABRA’S FOUNDER

ALBERTO CUAUHTLEQUEZQUI

MEXIHCA NEW YEAR 2026, SAN JOSE CALIFORNIA

VIDEO CELEBRATING 20+ YEARS OF INDIGENOUS CULTURAL DIFFUSION

Huey Tlahtokan - La Gran Palabra ChicagoAztlan © — 22 Years of Cultural Heritage

PAPALOTLCLOTHING.COM

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