to modern day cereals. Art Music Guatemala's national instrument is the marimba, an idiophone from the family of the xylophones, which is played all over the country, even in the remotest corners. Towns also have wind and percussion bands that play during the Lent and Easter-week processions, as well as on other occasions. The Garifuna people of Afro-Caribbean descent, who are spread thinly on the northeastern Caribbean coast, have their own distinct varieties of popular and folk music. Cumbia, from the Colombian variety, is also very popular, especially among the lower classes. Guatemala also has an almost five-century-old tradition of art music, spanning from the first liturgical chant and polyphony, introduced in 1524 to contemporary art music. Much of the music composed in Guatemala from the 16th century to the 19th century has only recently been unearthed by scholars and is being revived by performers. Textiles The Mayan people are known for their brightly colored yarn-based textiles, which are woven into capes, shirts, blouses, and dresses. Each village has its own distinctive pattern, making it possible to distinguish a person's home town on sight. Women's clothing consists of a shirt and a long skirt. Men's clothing consists of a white shirt and colored pants with a jacket. The main source of production of textiles was by the Guatemalan women. Weaving was taught to young girls because of the difficulty of the trade. It would take years for girls to master the process of embroidery. Traditional clothing, mostly worn by indigenous people, was known as "traje" and had a large Mayan influence. The other style was modern and had a western influence, also known as American clothing. Traditional Mayan clothing consisted of hand-embroidered, woven cotton or wool with complex designs. It symbolized the value of heritage and history. Westernized clothing included blue jeans and t-shirts, and symbolized wealth and modernization. Bright colors and unique designs allowed the native people to decipher which town people lived in and their social status. Textiles are largely significant in maintaining the Mayan culture. Religion Roman Catholicism combined with the indigenous Maya religion to form the unique syncretic religion which prevailed throughout Guatemala and still does in the rural regions. Beginning from negligible roots prior to the 1960s, Protestant Pentecostalism has grown to become the predominant religion of Guatemala City and other urban centers and down to mid-sized towns. The unique religion is reflected in the