Local Maya explain the use of this modified dress as a matter of practicality, claiming that

material used in the traditional skirts is too expensive, even though colonial records indicate that

when San Pedro Pinula was a "pueblo of ii,,," (Indian town) and was forced to give tribute to

the Spanish crown, the local Maya did produce some sort of cloth. Today, material used for the

traditional Maya corte skirt is produced in the Western Highlands. A skirt made of traditional

cloth can cost upwards of Q300 (around $45), while yards of plain fabric used for theplagada

style dress costs just a few Quetzales (less than a dollar). The Chorti Maya of Chiquimula, the

only other Maya group in the Eastern Highlands, also wear a modified dress made of imported

material. Though the style of the Chorti modified dress differs from the Pokomam, the presence

of this clothing style in the Oriente and its identification as "indigenous" marks the creative and

adaptive capacity of the populations in the East.

 Like the women, Maya men were reported to have worn a traditional outfit that is no

longer used in the region. The outfit was simple: it consisted of light white cloth, with shin-level

pants held up by a simple belt made of the same material. While women traditionally go

barefoot, men wear caites, or sandals made of leather with soles cut from used tires. This type of

footwear is a convenient symbol of the difference between Maya and Ladino, since only

"Indians" wear this type of shoe. One example of the symbolism of the caite concerns a Ladino

man who is from another town farther east in the Oriente where there are no Maya. He is

considered of lower class and often walks about town in caites. People think he is a strange

character but excuse his behavior because he is from an area "where there is many poor Ladinos

who are like Indians."

 Maya men often wear the traditional sombrero. Made out of braided palm leaves, the hat is

shaped into a cowboy style and varies in color from muted brown to beige. Maya men also use a