The Dress of the mayas Arose about 2000 years ago in what is called the pre-classical era, where the social structure Of that civilization together with the bases of its religious teachings.
The society itself had a very marked hierarchy and separated into several classes, headed by the king whose position was hereditary. The nobles followed him, as priests and ministers, and finally the rest of commoners who fulfilled with varied professions.
In the classical era (between 250 AD and 900 AD) the conventions were firmly established, including those related to dress code.
Depending on social status, clothing varied from one class to another. For example, They reserved some special clothes and colors for the people of the nobility and royalty.
This knowledge of the Mayan clothing survived thanks to their works of art, their murals, carvings, ceramic articles and in the records of the Spanish settlers From the 16th century.
The dress is one of the many characteristics that make Mayan society one of the most surprising civilizations in history. You may also be interested in viewing How is the dress of the Olmecs .
General concept of Mayan clothing and materials
The Maya were known for their exotic, vibrant, colorful and life-giving clothes; Elaborated in a great range of styles for different occasions, including extravagant costumes for public events, dresses for dances, protective armor for the war, costumes for sporting events and simple clothes for the day to day.
His clothing was never designed to conform to the body, but was designed in a way that would only cover it. To keep the garments in place, they were knotted with ropes or held up by belts made of cloth.
During the winter, they used a poncho type cape to protect themselves from the cold without losing mobility. They used cotton, hemp and other textile fibers, including furs.
They could use plant shells or tree trunks to make special garments aimed at various rituals.
They opted to dye their fabrics into glossy designs by displaying elaborate geometric patterns, floral or animal figures typical of the region. They used vegetable or animal mixtures to produce garment dyes.
They also used insects to obtain color to dye, paint the fabrics and even for use in their makeup style
They had a range of colors available such as green, purple, black, blue and various red fonts. They also used to accompany the clothes with elaborate headdresses very striking or characteristic hats.
Women's clothing
The women wore loose or short-fitting blouses with or without sleeves and long sleeves that wound up around the waist. Colorful woven belts called"huipil"or long fabrics like scarves wrapped around the hip were sometimes added.
They always thought of practicality and appreciated the embroideries that women made in almost all the garments, since they were considered as a gift of the gods towards them to them having given that great ability to embroider.
Women of the elites had more freedom to show the wealth in the decorative range of their dress. Besides the beautiful decorations, they had adornments made with very expensive plumages and beads.
The lower classes, instead of a skirt, usually used a piece of cloth tied to the level of the torso called"blanket". The dresses could consist of a tunic the size of the total height of the woman simply sewn to the sides.
Men's Clothing
The men wore much less garments to cover them. Basically it was sought to cover the intimate parts, whether it was with thin pieces skirts or loincloths, between 2 meters long and 25 centimeters wide.
This loincloth was placed wrapping repeatedly from the waist before being passed between the legs. The men of the upper classes adorned their loincloths with feathers.
Some representations of the Maya used to show them wearing a"pati", which was a piece of square cloth decorated according to social status and usually tied around the shoulders.
They also wore turbans on their heads with large ornaments covered with colors, feathers, furs and even precious stones depending on the hierarchy.
Footwear
The protection for the feet was a very important accessory in the Mayan dress. Like clothing and hats or turbans, the quality of the decoration of the shoes depended on the social class of the wearer.
The most common footwear was a sandal-like workmanship, made of deer skin and adorned with pieces of other skins mostly or bones for ornaments. The lower classes made their sandals with uncured animal skins.
Clothing for events
The dress was mostly to participate in rituals, festivals or ceremonies. The outfits for these occasions were the most elaborate and exuberant of their fashion.
The elite classes took the opportunity to show their social status by displaying their best dresses decorated with many plumage, colorful carvings and lace of precious stones.
An important element was hat, turban or headgear, made with jade jewelry, animal skins like the jaguar, fabrics carved with sophisticated designs and many feathers.
In order to dance, the Mayans designed light attire that would not reduce mobility despite the sophistication of the final finish even with ornaments. They used to attach a kind of feathertail to the back of the dance gear.
The war was a fundamental part of the Mayan culture, since the different city-states used to face each other. They wore cotton cloths, coarse fur or coiled sheets to make protective and coated attire. They also made large shields decorated with feathers or animal skins.
Accessories and jewelry
The Mayans used a variety of jewelry that could be tendrils, rings on the nose, hoops on the lips, pins or necklaces very large and extravagant.
With a variety of materials, they basically used whatever they found at their disposal like precious minerals, gemstones and even bones.
For the elite class, showing their social status was something everyday. The members of this class were the ones who wore the largest and most exuberant necklaces.
They used in their accessories all kinds of things made of precious materials like gold, which definitely denoted their power and hierarchy.
Silver and copper could also be possible symbols of wealth. Turtle shells were also used as ornaments by some people.
For those located in a lower hierarchy, the simplest accessories were those made of bone, wood and painted clay.
References
- Mayans and Tikal (2015). Mayan Clothing. Retrieved from mayansandtikal.com.
- Dear Grace (2014). RESOURCE: Ancient Maya clothing. Retrieved from mexicolore.co.uk.
- Glas Ysgrifen (2012) Clothing of the Ancient Maya. Ancient Maya Life. Retrieved from ancientmayalife.blogspot.com.
- Lin Donn. Maya Empire for Kids - Fashion and Clothing. The Mysterious Mayas. Retrieved from mayas.mrdonn.org.
- Derek Bullard. What is Mayan Clothing Made of? People of our everyday life. Retrieved from peopleof.oureverydaylife.com.
- Joshua J. Mark (2012). Maya Civilization. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from ancient.eu.
- Encyclopedia of Fashion. Clothing of Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. Retrieved from fashionencyclopedia.com.