Weaving using the backstrap loom is a tradition that has been passed from mother or grandmother to girls, usually between the ages of seven and eight years, since pre-Columbian times.  During the pre-conquest period, weavings besides clothing were also used as a means of exchange, tribute, payment and gifts.  The loom is inexpensive to make and is portable.  It is comprised of several parallel sticks between which the warp threads are stretched.  A front rod holding one end of the warp is tied to a tree or pole.  A back rod holding the other end of the warp is attached to the weaver’s waist with a leather strap that wraps around the weaver’s body.  The position of the weaver, leaning forward or back, controls the tension of the loom. 

The width of the loom, and therefore the final width of the cloth, is usually no more than 30 inches, limited to the reach of the weaver.  Cloth is woven to the exact size needed and can be woven with selvages on all four sides.  Most clothing is square or rectangular in shape and made from either a single length of cloth or from several pieces joined together.