Instead of using the batten the weaver presses down on a foot pedal to clear the shed. The treadle loom may be faster, but it cannot compare with the artistic quality achieved by the backstrap loom. More control of the weaving can be achieved when the backstrap loom is used to control the tension. The work is more easily manipulated and combinations can be made that would not be possible on the treadle loom. Not only were the Spanish changing the Maya weaving habits, they were also stifling Maya creativity and altering social structure.
All Indian women weave, regardless of social status.
This is one fact that ties them together. In Spain, weaving is a male profession. Therefore the Spaniards taught the treadle loom to the Maya men, causing major alteration in textile manufacture. The Maya represent in their weaving the everyday events they hold as meaningful. The time honored techniques of the Maya still survive today, despite pressures from missionaries and an oppressive government.