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Cloth painting probably appeared by the mid-18th century and may have been introduced by the French Huguenots who settled amongst the San Blas people from 1700 until they were expelled or murdered in 1757. Cloth garments were still being painted in the 1870's and the author (Kit S. Kapp) has collected several prize examples of the Kuna painted underskirt PICHA MAKKALET (old name PANUETI), now extinct in use.
The Indians started a general migration from the mainland habitations to their present island locations within the last 150 years, mostly to alleviate discomfort brought about by disease and hungry insects encountered in the humid jungle. The move brought them closer to the Yankee sailing ships that traded trinkets and cloth for coconuts. There are molas in existence that show these old wind jammers, and old-timers, like Charlie Harris of Ubicantupu Miria village, who once sailed with those tall ships.

The mola blouse, as we know it today, evolved from the Victorian period. It is believed to have originated from a loose dress with a brightly colored and decorated band sewn to the lower hem. The author has obtained several fine examples of this early transition type, called NIMATRA MOLA, from the Colombian villages of Arquia and Rio Caiman.