Ruth Reeves created Maya after studying stone and ceramic depictions of Mayan and Aztec glyphs (systems of writing). The work includes Reeves’s interpretation of three symbols for water that she used to build her composition.

In the early 20th century, American designers like Reeves sought new, non-European sources of inspiration for textile and fashion design. The American Museum of Natural History spearheaded the movement in 1915 by making their Indigenous North and South American collections accessible to artists in an effort to foster a new American design aesthetic.