The village of San Miguel Chicaj is directly descended from Rabinal. Rabinal, at the time of the Spanish Conquest, was a primary political center in what is now the Baja Verpaz department. The village’s name is a hybrid of Spanish and Quiché. San Miguel refers to St. Michael; Chicaj is a combination of Quiché words meaning “in the sky,” and was attached to the town because St. Michal, patron saint of the town, was believed to have come from the sky.

Two styles of huipil are present in San Miguel Chicaj. There is a loosely woven huipil worn for mass and a single panel huipil mad on an unusually wide loom.

The huipil for mass is worn in the fashion of a veil. It is draped over the head with the neck opening revealing only the wearer’s face. Mass huipil design has varied little during the 20th century. It features tight bands across the top of the central panel, with red as the predominate color.

Daily huipils from San Miguel Chicaj are more variant than the mass huipil, but convey some similarities. They are made of coarser threads and contain vertical bands. Yet the horizontal bands of design are similar to the mass huipil bands, and are superimposed over the vertical stripes.