Wardrobe & Custuming
Perhaps the most tumultuos and demanding department in MFDC is wardrobe. At present the company owns approximately 4,000 pieces of costuming, including headdresses, hats and accessories. Their maintenance, inventory and distribution constitute the most time-consuming task leading to a performance but it is one of the most critical and indispensable parts of the entire enterprise. A very large part of MFDC's entire budget goes into costuming. The costumes embody the culture and history of Mexico and are essential to distinguishing its folkloric dance tradition from others around the world.

Doña Amparo
MFDC's dance repertoire is the result of the artistic director developing a vision of a dance work followed by the his collaboration with a creative costume maker to make that vision a reality on stage. For MFDC this unmistakably creative part of the process has been in the hands of Doña Amparo González de Ovalle. Doña Amparo is a professional seamstress whose magnificent costume-making skill has dressed MFDC since its founding in 1982. Doña Amparo has masterfully executed all hand and machine embroidery, weaving and the construction of dresses that often require many yards of lace, ribbon and ruffles, such as those dresses from the states of Veracruz, Jalisco and Nayarit.

Costuming
Mexican traditional costuming is vast subject filling several books. But for the purpose of this informative capsule it can be summarized and divided into three basic types: Indigenous, Mestizo and Modern. However these divisions do overlap and ample shades of gray are created. These types are the result of the history, geography, climate, culture or ethnicity of various regions.

Indigenous costumes are representations of pre-Columbian dress based on either indigenous codex paintings or carvings at archaeological sites. For the men the maxtatl or loincloth is the basic piece of garment. For the women the huipil and quetchquemitl for a top and the cuetli or wrap and a round skirt are the norm.

The mestizo costume is a mixture of Spanish and indigenous garments where the quetchquemitl or the huipil is used with a Spanish ruffle skirt. This type includes accessories from both cultures i.e., fans, headpieces, hairdos, rattles, handkerchiefs, etc.

The modern costume dates from mid-1800s to about 1910, when the female dress took on early 20th century European fashions, mainly french. Men invariably wear pants and shirts with a textile or leather belt, a bandana on the neck and footwear that ranges from barefoot to chamois leather Spanish boots. Jackets, vests or silk shirts either complement the pants or are determined by climatic and cultural differences from region to region.