Make your own Maya worry doll

The Ancient Maya were an extraordinary civilisation who lived in what is now Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. They built vibrant cities, created beautiful art, developed the only full writing system in the Americas, invented the concept of zero and made remarkable discoveries about the stars.

A worry doll (muñeca quitapena in Spanish) is a tiny handmade figure made from colorful textile leftovers. Worry dolls are important in Maya tradition and stories. Sometimes they are linked to the creation goddess Xmucane. Around 8 million Maya people still live today across Central America. Many continue to speak Mayan languages, make traditional crafts and wear
colourful, hand‑woven clothing. Maya weavers are highly skilled at spinning, dyeing and weaving and many of their designs carry special meanings. We can learn a great deal from living Maya communities as well as from the archaeological artefacts left behind.

According to Maya tradition, if you tell your doll your troubles before bed, then place it under your pillow by morning the doll has carried those worries away. Click here to watch a video of a Maya mother explain how these dolls are passed down from generation to generation.

This activity is part of our Ancient Maya resource pack, produced by Archaeodiscovery. Explore the full resource pack here.

Top tips:

  • If you do not have wooden pegs you can replace with lollipop sticks.
  • Younger children may need help tying knots so adult supervision is recommended.
A wooden clothes peg with a brown pipe cleaner wrapped around it.

Step 1

Make the arms. Wrap your pipe cleaner around the peg just under the “neck”. Twist the ends together at the back to secure it. Then gently bend the pipe cleaner so the arms curve around to the front.
A person wraps white yarn around a wooden clothes peg with a brown pipe cleaner wrapped around it.

Step 2

Wrap your doll in yarn. Choose a colourful piece of yarn and cut it to the length of your arm. Tie it to the peg just under the “head”, then begin wrapping it around the peg and pipe cleaner to create the top of the outfit. When you reach the end, tuck the loose end under a previous loop and pull tight. (If any knots/ends show, you can hide them by wrapping more yarn over the top.)
A small doll made from a peg with a smiling face, brown pipe-cleaner arms and clothes made from colourful yarn.

Step 3

Continue wrapping and add a face. Pick a new colour of yarn, cut it to the length of your arm, and tie it on. Keep wrapping to build up the clothing. You can choose to wind each “leg” separately if you want your doll to look like it’s wearing trousers. Use a felt‑tip pen to draw shoes and a simple face.
A small doll made from a peg wearing colourful Maya-inspired fabric.

Step 4

Decorate your worry doll with feathers by tucking them into the yarn. Beautiful quetzal feathers were worn by Maya elites as symbols of wealth and power. You can also use a small piece of fabric to make a traditional huipil (blouse) or corte (skirt). Pronounced “wee-peel”, a huipil is a traditional cotton blouse worn by both ancient and modern Maya women.