Like the _enaguas_, they usually consist of two pieces, side by side, stitched together with some bright color.

The fibre, which is gotten from the leaves partly by maceration, partly by beating, is spun in a primitive fashion.

Almost every woman one meets upon the road, no matter what burden of babies or goods she carries, has a hank of the fibre thrown over her shoulder, and keeps her little spindle whirling, spinning the strong thread as she walks.

Her spindle consists of a slender stick thrust through a whorl of baked pottery.
Such whorls are no longer made, but the ancient ones, called by the Aztec name _malacates_, are picked up in the fields and reapplied to their old use.

Usually the _ixtli_ thread is left of its original grey or white color, but sometimes the fibre is dyed, a fine shade of orange being favored.