DRESS OF THE NAHUA NATIONS.
PROGRESS IN DRESS--DRESS OF THE PRE-AZTEC NATIONS--GARMENTS
OF THE CHICHIMECS AND TOLTECS--INTRODUCTION OF COTTON--THE
MAXTLI--THE TILMATLI--DRESS OF THE ACOLHUAS--ORIGIN OF THE
TARASCAN COSTUME--DRESS OF THE ZAPOTECS AND TABASCANS--DRESS
OF WOMEN--THE HUIPIL AND CUEITL--SANDALS--MANNER OF WEARING
THE HAIR--PAINTING AND TATTOOING--ORNAMENTS USED BY THE
NAHUAS--GORGEOUS DRESS OF THE NOBLES--DRESS OF THE ROYAL
ATTENDANTS--NAMES OF THE VARIOUS MANTLES--THE ROYAL
DIADEM--THE ROYAL WARDROBE--COSTLY DECORATIONS.
With but few exceptions the dress of all the civilized nations of
Mexico appears to have been the same. The earliest people, the
historians inform us, went entirely naked or covered only the lower
portion of the body with the skins of wild animals. Afterwards, as by
degrees civilization advanced, this scanty covering grew into a
regular costume, though still, at first, made only of skins. From this
we can note a farther advance to garments manufactured first out of
tanned and prepared skins, later of maguey and palm-tree fibres, and
lastly of cotton. From the latter no further progress was made,
excepting in the various modes of ornamenting and enriching the
garments with feather-work, painting, embroidery, gold-work, and
jewelry. The common people were obliged to content themselves with
plain clothing, but the dress of the richer classes, nobles, princes,
and sovereigns, was of finer texture and richer ornamentation.[365]
The descriptions of the dresses of the nations which occupied the
Valley of Mexico before the Aztecs vary according to different
authors. While some describe them as gorgeously decked out in painted
and embroidered garments of cotton and nequen, others say, that they
went either wholly naked or were only partially covered with skins.
Thus Sahagun and Brasseur de Bourbourg describe the Toltecs as dressed
in undergarments and mantles on which blue scorpions were
painted,[366] while the latter author in another place says that they
went entirely naked.[367] Veytia goes even farther than Sahagun,
affirming that they knew well how to manufacture clothing of cotton,
that a great difference existed between the dress of the nobles and
that of the plebeians, and that they even varied their clothing with
the seasons. He describes them as wearing in summer a kind of
breech-cloth or drawers and a square mantle tied across the breast and
descending to the ankles, while in winter in addition to the above
they clothed themselves in a kind of sack, which reached down as far
as the thighs, without sleeves but with a hole for the head and two
others for the arms.[368]
[Sidenote: DRESS OF THE AZTECS, TARASCOS, AND HUASTECS.]
The Chichimecs, generally mentioned as the successors of the Toltecs,
are mostly described as going naked, or only partly dressed in
skins.[369] This appears, however, only to relate to the people
spoken of as wild Chichimecs; those who inhabited Tezcuco and others
in that neighborhood as civilized as the Aztecs, dressed probably in a
similar fashion to theirs; at least, as we shall presently see, this
was the case with their sovereigns and nobles. All the Nahuas, with
the exception of the Tarascos and Huastecs, made use of the
breech-cloth, or maxtli.[370] This with the Mexicans in very early
times is said to have been a kind of mat, woven of the roots of a
plant which grew in the Lake of Mexico, and was called _amoxtli_.[371]
Later, the fibre of the palm-tree and the maguey furnished the
material for their clothing, and it was only during the reign of King
Huitzilihuitl that cotton was introduced.[372]
The maxtli was about twenty-four feet long and nine inches wide, and
was generally more or less ornamented at the ends with colored fringes
and tassels, the latter sometimes nine inches long. The manner of
wearing it was to pass the middle between the legs and to wind it
about the hips, leaving the ends hanging one in front and the other at
the back, as is done at this day by the Malays and other East Indian
natives. It was at the ends usually that the greatest display of
embroidery, fancy fringes, and tassels was made.[373]
[Sidenote: GARMENTS OF THE TARASCOS.]
As a further covering the men wore the _tilmatli_, or _ayatl_, a
mantle, which was nothing more than a square piece of cloth about four
feet long. If worn over both shoulders, the two upper ends were tied
in a knot across the breast, but more frequently it was only thrown
over one shoulder and knotted under one of the arms. Sometimes two or
three of these mantles were worn at one time. This, however, was only
done by the better classes. The older Spanish writers generally
compare this mantle to the Moorish albornoz. It was usually colored or
painted, frequently richly embroidered or ornamented with feathers and
furs. The edges were scalloped or fringed with tufts of cotton and
sometimes with gold. Rich people had, besides these, mantles made of
rabbit or other skins, or of beautiful feathers, and others of fine
cotton into which was woven rabbit-hair, which latter were used in
cold weather.[374]
In only one instance garments with sleeves are mentioned.
Ixtlilxochitl, in describing the dress of the Acolhuas, says that they
wore a kind of long coat reaching to the heels with long sleeves.[375]
The dress of the Tarascos differed considerably from that of the other
Nahua nations. This difference is said to have originated in ancient
times, when they together with other tribes, as the legend relates,
immigrated into Mexico. While on their wanderings being obliged to
cross a river, and having no ropes with which to construct rafts, they
used for this purpose their maxtlis and mantles. Not being able to
procure other clothing immediately, they were under the necessity of
putting on the _huipiles_, or chemises, of the women, leaving to the
latter only their _naguas_, or petticoats. In commemoration of this
event, they later adopted this as their national costume, discarding
the maxtli and wearing the huipil and a mantle.[376] The tilmatli, or
ayatl, was by the Tarascos called _tlanatzi_. It was worn over one
shoulder and was knotted under the other arm. They frequently trimmed
it with hare-skins and painted it gaudily. The young wore it
considerably shorter than old people. The manufacture of feather
garments seems to have been a specialty of the Tarascos.[377]
The Zapotecs chiefly dressed in skins, while others in Oajaca are said
to have worn small jackets, and Cortés reports these people to have
been better dressed than any he had previously seen.[378] In Tabasco
but little covering was used, the greater part of the population going
almost naked.[379]
[Sidenote: DRESS OF WOMEN.]
There was no difference in the dress of the women throughout Anáhuac.
The huipil and _cueitl_ were the chief articles, and were
universally used. Besides these, mantles of various shapes and
materials were worn. The huipil was a kind of chemise, with either
no sleeves at all or very short ones; it covered the upper part of the
body to a little below the thighs. The lower part of the body was
covered by the cueitl, a petticoat, reaching to about half-way between
the knees and ankles, and often nicely embroidered and ornamented.
Skins, _ixcotl_, or palm-fibre, nequen, and cotton were the materials
used for these garments. Out of doors they frequently put on another
over-dress similar to the huipil, only longer and with more ornamental
fringes and tassels. Sometimes they wore two or three of these at the
same time, one over the other, but in that case they were of different
lengths, the longest one being worn underneath. A mantle similar in
size and shape to that used by the men, white and painted in various
designs on the outside, was also used by the females. To the upper
edge of this, on that portion which was at the back of the neck, a
capuchin, like that worn by the Dominican and other monks, was
fastened, with which they covered their head.[380]
To protect their feet they used sandals, by the Aztecs called
_cactli_, which were made of deer or other skins, and frequently also
of nequen and cotton. The strings or straps used to fasten them were
of the same material.[381] I do not find any description of the manner
in which they were fastened, but in an old Mexican manuscript on
maguey paper, in which some of the natives are painted in various
colors, I find that the sandals were fastened in three places; first
by a strap running across the foot immediately behind the toes, then
another over the instep and running toward the heel, and lastly by a
strap from the heel round the ankle.
[Sidenote: HAIR-DRESSING AND PAINTING.]
As a general thing Mexicans wore the hair long, and in many parts of
the empire it was considered a disgrace to cut the hair of a free man
or woman.[382] Unlike most of the American natives they wore
moustaches, but in other parts of the body they eradicated all hair
very carefully.[383] There were public barber-shops and baths in all
the principal cities.[384] The Aztecs had various ways of dressing the
hair, differing according to rank and office. Generally it was left
hanging loose down the back. The women also frequently wore it in this
way, but oftener had it done up or trimmed after various fashions;
thus some wore it long on the temples and had the rest of the head
shaved, others twisted it with dark cotton thread, others again had
almost the whole head shaved. Among them it was also fashionable to
dye the hair with a species of black clay, or with an herb called
_xiuhquilitl_, the latter giving it a violet shade. Unmarried girls
wore the hair always loose; they considered it as especially graceful
to wear the hair low[385] on the forehead. The virgins who served in
the temples had their hair cut short.[386]
The Otomís shaved the fore part of the heads of children, leaving only
a tuft behind, which they called _piochtli_, while the men wore the
hair cut short as far as the middle of the back of the head, but left
it to grow long behind; and these long locks they called _piocheque_.
Girls did not have their hair cut until after marriage, when it was
worn in the same style as by the men.[387] The Tarascos, or as they
were also called Quaochpanme, derived this last name from an old
fashion of having their heads shaved, both men and women.[388] Later
they wore the hair long, the common people simply letting it hang down
the back, while the rich braided it with cotton threads of various
colors.[389] The Miztecs wore the hair braided, and ornamented with
many feathers.[390]
The Nahua women used paint freely to beautify their person, and among
some nations they also tattooed. Among the Aztecs they painted their
faces with a red, yellow, or black color, made, as Sahagun tells us,
of burnt incense mixed with dye. They also dyed their feet black with
the same mixture. Their teeth they cleaned and painted with cochineal;
hands, neck, and breast were also painted.[391] Among the Tlascaltecs
the men painted their faces with a dye made of the _xagua_ and
_bixa_.[392] The Otomís tattooed their breasts and arms by making
incisions with a knife and rubbing a blue powder therein. They also
covered the body with a species of pitch called _teocahuitl_, and
over this again they applied some other color. Their teeth they dyed
black.[393]
The Nahuas, like all semi-barbarous people, had a passion for loading
themselves with ornaments. Those worn by the kings, nobles, and rich
persons, were of gold or silver, set with precious stones; those of
the poorer classes were of copper, stone, or bone, set with imitations
in crystal of the rarer jewels. These ornaments took the shape of
bracelets, armlets, anklets, and rings for the nose, ears, and
fingers. The lower lip was also pierced, and precious stones, or
crystals, inserted. The richer classes used principally for this
purpose the chalchiuite, which is generally designated as an emerald.
There existed very stringent laws regarding the class of ornaments
which the different classes of people were allowed to wear, and it was
prohibited, on pain of death, for a subject to use the same dress or
ornaments as the king. Duran relates that to certain very brave but
low-born warriors permission was accorded to wear a cheap garland or
crown on the head, but on no account might it be made of gold.[394]
Gomara tells us that the claws and beaks of the eagle and also
fish-bones were worn as ornaments in the ears, nose, and lips.[395]
The Otomís used ear-ornaments made of burned clay, nicely browned, and
others of cane.[396] The Tarascos chiefly relied on feathers for their
personal adornment.[397] Of the natives encountered by Cortés when he
landed at Vera Cruz, Peter Martyr tells us that in the "hole of the
lippes, they weare a broad plate within fastened to another on the
outside of the lippe, and the iewell they hang thereat is as great as
a siluer Caroline doller and as thicke as a mans finger."[398]
In Oajaca more ornaments were worn than in any other part of the
country, owing, perhaps, as the Abbé Brasseur de Bourbourg remarks, to
the plentiful supply of precious metals in that state.[399]
[Sidenote: DRESS OF THE NOBLES.]
The dress of the nobles and members of the royal household differed
from that of the lower classes only in fineness of material and
profusion of ornaments. The kings appear to have worn garments of the
same shape as those of their subjects, but, in other respects, a
particular style of dress was reserved for royalty, and he who
presumed to imitate it was put to death. On occasions, however, when
the monarch wished to bestow a special mark of favor upon a brave
soldier or distinguished statesman, he would graciously bestow upon
him one of his garments, which, even though the recipient were a great
noble, was received with joy, and the wearer respected as a man whom
the king delighted to honor.[400] In Tlascala differences of rank
among the nobles were easily recognized by the style of dress. The
common people were strictly forbidden to wear cotton clothes with
fringes or other trimmings, unless with special permission, granted in
consideration of services rendered.[401]
The court laws of etiquette prescribed the dress to be worn by the
royal attendants, who could only appear without sandals, barefooted,
and in coarse mantles before the king, and even the apparel of the
sovereign was in like manner fixed by custom, if not by law. The
different kinds of tilmatlis, or mantles, had each its appropriate
name, and varied in material as well as in ornament and color. The
cotton mantles are described as being of exceeding fineness of
texture, so much so that it required an expert to determine whether
they were cotton or silk.[402] The mantle worn as every-day dress in
the palace was white and blue and called the _xiuhtilmatli_.[403]
There were many other kinds of mantles, of which the following are the
principal: A yellowish, heavily fringed mantle, on which monstrous
heads were painted, was called _coazayacaiotilmatli_; another, blue,
ornamented with red shells, with three borders, one light, another
dark blue, and a third of white feather-work, and fringed with the
same kind of shells, was named _tecuciciotilmatli_; another, dark
yellow, with alternate black and white circles painted on it, and a
border representing eyes, was the _temalcacaiotilmatlitenisio_; a
similar one, differing only in the figures and shape of the ornaments,
was the _itzcayotilmatli_; a very gaudy one, worked in many colors,
was the _umetechtecomaiotilmatli_; another, with a yellow ground, on
which were butterflies made of feathers, and with scalloped edges, was
called _papaloiotilmatlitenisio_; the _xaoalquauhiotilmatlitenisio_,
was embroidered with designs representing the flower called
_ecacazcatl_, and further ornamented with white feather-work and
feather edges; the _ocelotentlapalliyiticycacocelotl_ was an imitation
of a tiger-skin, also ornamented with an edge of white feathers; the
_ixnextlacuilolli_ was worked in many colors, and had a sun painted on
it.[404] Other mantles, differing mainly in their style of
ornamentation, were the _coaxacayo_ and _tlacalhuaztilmatli_, the
latter worn when the king went into his gardens or to the chase. In
the same manner there are also various kinds of maxtlis mentioned,
such as the _ynyaomaxaliuhqui_, _ytzahuazalmaxtlatl_ and
_yacahualiuqui_.[405] In fact there appears to have been a different
dress for every occasion. We are told, for instance, that when going
to the temple the king wore a white mantle, another when going to
preside at the court of justice, and here he again changed his dress,
according as the case before the court was a civil or criminal
suit.[406] The sandals of the kings were always richly ornamented with
precious stones, and had golden soles.[407]
[Sidenote: DRESS OF THE KINGS.]
Whenever the sovereign appeared in public he wore the royal crown,
called _copilli_, which was of solid gold, and is described by most
writers as having been shaped like a bishop's mitre; but in the
hieroglyphical paintings, in which the Mexican kings are represented,
it is simply a golden band, wider in front than at the back, the front
running up to a point; on some occasions it was ornamented with long
feathers.[408] The following description of ornaments, worn by the
Mexican kings and nobles, I extract from Sahagun:--
[Sidenote: ABORIGINAL DRESS.]
The _quetzalalpitoai_ consisted of two tassels of fine feathers
garnished with gold, which they wore bound to the hair on the crown of
the head, and hanging down to the temples. The _tlauhquecholtzontli_
was a handsome garment of feathers worn on the shoulders. On the arms
they placed gold rings; on the wrists a thick black strap made soft
with balsam, and upon it a large chalchiuite or other precious stone.
They also had a _barbote_, or chin-piece, of chalchiuite or other
precious stone, set in gold, inserted in the chin. These
chin-ornaments were made long, of crystal, with some blue feathers in
the centre, which made them look like sapphire. The lip had a hole
bored in it, from which precious stones or gold crescents were
suspended. The great lords likewise had holes in their nose, and
placed therein very fine turquoises or other precious stones, one on
each side of the nose. On their necks they wore strings of precious
stones, or a medal suspended by a gold chain, with pearl pendants
hanging from its edge, and a flat jewel in the centre of it. They used
bracelets of mosaic work made with turquoises. On their legs they
wore, from the knee down, greaves of very thin gold. They carried in
the right hand a little golden flag with a tuft of gaudy feathers on
the top. Upon their heads they wore a bird made of rich feathers, with
its head and beak resting on the forehead, its tail toward the back of
the head, its wings falling over the temples.[409]
FOOTNOTES:
[365] 'La gente pobre vestia de nequen, que es la tela que se haze del
maguey, y los ricos vestian de algodon, con orlas labradas de pluma, y
pelo de conejos.' _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. ii., lib. vii., cap.
ii.
[366] _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., lib. x., p. 112; _Brasseur
de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 283. 'Maxtli enrichi de
broderies, et ... tunique d'une grande finesse.' _Id._, p. 350. 'En
tiempo de calor con sus mantas y pañetes de algodon, y en tiempo de
frio se ponian unos jaquetones sin mangas que los llevaban hasta las
rodillas con sus mantas y pañetes.' _Ixtlilxochitl_, _Relaciones_, in
_Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. ix., p. 327.
[367] 'Nu suivant la coutume des indigènes qui travaillaient aux
champs.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 348.
[368] 'Algodon, que sabian beneficiar y fabricar de él las ropas de
que se vestian.' _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. ii., p. 43; _Id._,
tom. i., p. 253.
[369] 'Su vestuario eran las pieles ... que las ablandaban y curaban
para el efecto, trayendo en tiempo de frios el pelo adentro, y en
tiempo de calores ... el pelo por la parte afuera.' _Ixtlilxochitl_,
_Hist. Chich._, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. ix., p. 214;
_Motolinia_, _Hist. Indios_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom.
i., p. 4; _Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol. 298; _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant.
del Messico_, tom. i., p. 133; _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i.,
p. 38. 'Por lo frio de su clima vestian todos pieles de animales
adobadas y curtidas, sin que perdiesen el pelo, las que acomodaban á
manera de un sayo, que por detras les llegaba hasta las corvas, y por
delante á medio muslo.' _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. ii., p. 5,
tom. i., p. 25. 'S'habillaient ... de peaux de bêtes fauves, le poil
en dehors durant l'été, vieillard en hiver.... Chez les classes
aisées ... ces peaux étaient tannées ou maroquinées avec art; on y
usait aussi des toiles de nequen, et quelquefois des cotonnades d'une
grande finesse.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii.,
p. 186.
[370] 'Maxtlatl, bragas, o cosa semejante.' _Molina_, _Vocabulario_.
The Tarascos 'n'adoptèrent jamais l'usage des caleçons.' _Camargo_,
_Hist. Tlax._, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcviii., p.
132. The maxtli is frequently spoken of as drawers or pantaloons. The
Huastecs 'no traen maxtles con que cubrir sus vergüenzas.' _Sahagun_,
_Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., lib. x., p. 134.
[371] _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., p. 84.
[372] 'Cominciarono in questo tempo a vestirsi di cotone, del quale
erano innanzi affatto privi per la loro miseria, nè d'altro
vestivansi, se non delle tele grosse di filo di maguei, o di palma
salvatica.' _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. i., p. 181.
'Les Mexicains, les Tecpanèques et les autres tribus qui restèrent en
arrière, conservèrent l'usage des étoffes de coton, de fil de palmier,
de maguey ixchele, de poil de lapin et de lièvre, ainsi que des peaux
d'animaux.' _Camargo_, _Hist. Tlax._, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._,
1843, tom. xcviii., p. 132. 'Non aveano lana, nè seta comune, nè lino,
nè canapa; ma supplivano alla lana col cotone, alla seta colla piuma,
e col pelo del coniglio, e della lepre, ed al lino, ed alla canapa
coll' _Icxotl_, o palma montana, col _Quetzalichtli_, col _Pati_, e
con altre spezie di Maguei.... Il modo, che avevano di preparar questi
materiali, era quello stesso, che hanno gli Europei nel lino, e nella
canapa. Maceravano in acqua le foglie, e poi le nettavano, le
mettevano al Sole, e le ammaccavano, finattantochè le mettevano in
istato di poterle filare.' _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_,
tom. ii., pp. 207-8. Ycçotl, Palma Montana. 'Non videtur filendum, è
folijs huius arboris fila parari, linteis, storisq. intexendis perquam
accommoda, politiora, firmioraq. eis quæ ex Metl passim fieri
consueuere, madentibus in primis aqua, mox protritis, ac lotis,
iterumq. et iterum maceratis, et insolatis, donec apta reddantur, vt
neri possint, et in usus accommodari materies est leuis, aclenta.'
_Hernandez_, _Nova Plant._, p. 76.
[373] '_Maxtles_, c'est ainsi qu'on nomme en langue mexicaine des
espèces _d'almaysales_ qui sont longues de quatre brasses, larges
d'une palme et demie et terminées par des broderies de diverses
couleurs, qui ont plus d'une palme et demie de haut.' _Camargo_,
_Hist. Tlax._, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcviii., p.
132. 'Cuoprono le loro parti vergogno se cosi di dietro come dinanzi,
con certi sciugatoi molto galanti, che sono come gran fazzuoli che si
legano il capo per viaggio, di diuersi colori, e orlati di varie
foggie, e di colori similmente diuersi, con i suoi fiocchi, che nel
cingersegli, viene l'un capo dauanti e l'altro di dietro.' _Relatione
fatta par vn gentil'huomo del Signor Fernando Cortese_, in _Ramusio_,
_Navigationi_, tom. iii., fol. 305. In Meztitlan, 'les uns et les
autres couvraient leur nudités d'une longue bande d'étoffe, semblable
à un almaizar, qui leur faisait plusieurs fois le tour du corps et
passait ensuite entre les jambes, les extrémités retombant par-devant
jusqu'aux genoux.' _Chaves_, _Rapport_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._,
série ii., tom. v., p. 316. 'Los vestidos que traen (Totonacs) es como
de almaizales muy pintados, y los hombres traen tapadas sus
verguenzas.' _Cortés_, _Cartas_, p. 23. In Oajaca, 'Maxtles conque se
cubrian sus vergüenzas.' _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., lib. x.,
pp. 136, 123, 131. The Miztecs 'por çaraguelles trahian matzles; que
los Castellanos dizen mastiles.' _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. iii.,
lib. iii., cap. xii.; _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom.
ii., p. 223.
[374] 'Il Tilmatli era un mantello quadro, lungo quattro piedi in
circa; due estremità d'esso annodavano sul petto, o sopra una
spalla.... Gli Uomini solevano portar due, o tre mantelli.'
_Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. ii., p. 223, and plate,
p. 224. 'I vestimenti loro son certi manti di bambagia come lenzuola,
ma non cosi grande, lauoratori di gentili lauori di diuerse maniere, e
con le lor franze e orletti, e di questi ciascun n 'ha duoi ò tre e se
gli liga per dauanti al petto.' _Relatione fatta per vn gentil'huomo
del Signor Fernando Cortese_, in _Ramusio_, _Navigationi_, tom. iii.,
fol. 305; _Camargo_, _Hist. Tlax._, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._,
1843, tom. xcviii., p. 131. 'Todos traen albornoces encima de la otra
ropa, aunque son diferenciados de los de Africa, porque tienen
maneras; pero en la hechura y tela y los rapacejos son muy
semejables.' _Cortés_, _Cartas_, pp. 75, 23. 'Leur vêtement consistait
anciennement dans deux ou trois manteaux d'une vare et demi en carré,
noués, par en haut, le noeud se mettant pour les uns sur la
poitrine, pour les autres à l'épaule gauche, et souvent par derrière.'
_Chaves_, _Rapport_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, série ii., tom. v.,
pp. 315-16. 'Ningun plebeyo vestia de algodon, con franja, ni
guarnicion, ni ropa rozagante, sino senzilla, llana, corta, y sin
ribete, y assi era conocido cada vno en el trage.' _Herrera_, _Hist.
Gen._, dec. ii., lib. vi., cap. xvii.; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist.
Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., p. 174. 'Otras hacian de pelo de Conejo,
entretexido de hilo de Algodon ... con que se defendian del frio.'
_Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. ii., p. 488; _Diaz_, _Itinerario_,
in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. i., p. 298. The Totonacs;
'algunos con ropas de algodon, ricas a su costumbre. Los otros casi
desnudos.' _Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol. 39, 95; _Sahagun_, _Hist.
Gen._, tom. iii., lib. x., p. 131. Huastecs 'andan bien vestidos: y
sus ropas y mantas son muy pulidas y curiosas con lindas labores,
porque en su tierra hacen las mantas que llaman _centzontilmatli,
cenzonquaehtli_, que quiere dezir, mantas _de mil colores_: de allá se
traen las mantas que tienen unas cabezas de monstruos pintadas, y las
de remolinos de agua engeridas unas con otras, en las cuales y en
otras muchas, se esmeraban las tejedoras.' _Id._, p. 134. 'Una manta
cuadrada anudada sobre el pecho, hácia el hombro siniestro, que
descendia hasta los tobillos; pero en tiempo de invierno cubrian mas
el cuerpo con un sayo cerrado sin mangas, y con una sola abertura en
la sumida para entrar la cabeza, y dos á los lados para los brazos, y
con él se cubrian hasta los muslos.' _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom.
i., p. 253; _Zuazo_, _Carta_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom.
i., p. 360.
[375] 'Vestíanse, unas túnicas largas de pellejos curtidos hasta los
carcañales, abiertas por delante y atadas con unas á manera de
agugetas, y sus manos que llegaban hasta las muñecas, y las manos.'
_Ixtlilxochitl_, _Relaciones_, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol.
ix., p. 341.
[376] _Camargo_, _Hist. Tlax._, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843,
tom. xcviii., p. 132; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom.
iii., p. 57.
[377] _Camargo_, _Hist. Tlax._, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843,
tom. xcviii., pp. 130-1; _Beaumont_, _Crón. Mechoacan_, MS., pp.
49-50; _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. iii., lib. iii., cap. ix.
[378] 'El trage de ellos era de diversas maneras, unos traían mantas,
otros como unas xaquetillas.' _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., lib.
x., p. 136. 'Era mas vestida que estotra que habemos visto.' _Cortés_,
_Cartas_, p. 93. 'La mayor parte andauan en cueros.' _Herrera_, _Hist.
Gen._, dec. iii., lib. iii., cap. xiv. The Miztecs 'vestian mantas
blancas de algodon, texidas, pintadas, y matizadas con flores, rosas,
y aves de diferentes colores: no trahian camisas.' _Id._, cap. xii.
[379] 'Andan casi desnudos.' _Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol. 36.
[380] 'Traen camisas de medias mangas.' _Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol.
317; _Relatione fatta per vn gentil'huomo del Signor Fernando
Cortese_, in _Ramusio_, _Navigationi_, tom. iii., fol. 305;
_Ixtlilxochitl_, _Relaciones_, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol.
ix., p. 327; _Cortés_, _Cartas_, p. 23. In Jalisco they had
'vn Huipilillo corto, que llaman Ixquemitl, ò teapxoloton.'
_Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., p. 339. 'Una sopravvesta ...
con maniche più lunghe.' _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom.
ii., p. 223; _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. ii., p. 6, tom. i., pp.
253-4; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 283. In
Michoacan 'no traían vipiles.' _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii.,
lib. x., pp. 138, 123; _Spiegazione delle Tavole del Codice Mexicano_
(Vaticano), in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. v., pp. 203-4;
_Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. iii., lib. iii., cap. xii.
[381] _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., lib. x., pp. 112, 123;
_Ixtlilxochitl_, _Relaciones_, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol.
ix., pp. 336, 341; _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. ii., lib. vi., cap.
xvii.; _Id._, dec. iii., lib. iii., cap. ix., xii.; _Beaumont_, _Crón.
Mechoacan_, MS., p. 50; _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., p. 259;
_Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol. 317; _Chaves_, _Rapport_, in
_Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, série ii., tom. v., p. 316; _Clavigero_,
_Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. ii., p. 223.
[382] 'Aveano a disonore l'esser tosati.' _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant.
del Messico_, tom. ii., p. 224.
[383] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 350.
'Ni bien baruados, porque se arrancan y vntan los pelos para que
no nazcan.' _Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol. 317. The Mistecs 'las barbas
se arrancauan con tenazillas de oro.' _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec.
iii., lib. iii., cap. xii.
[384] _Cortés_, _Cartas_, pp. 68, 104; _Oviedo_, _Hist. Gen._, tom.
iii., p. 300.
[385] 'Hazen lo negro con tierra por gentileza y porque les mate los
piojos. Las casadas se lo rodean a la cabeça con vn ñudo a la frente.
Las virgines y por casar, lo traen suelto, y echado atras y adelante.
Pelan se y vntan se todas para no tener pelo sino en la cabeça y
cejas, y assi tienen por hermosura tener chica frente, y llena de
cabello, y no tener colodrillo.' _Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol. 317;
_Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. ii., lib. viii., pp. 309-10, tom. iii.,
lib. x., pp. 113, 120, tom. xi., p. 309; _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del
Messico_, tom. ii., p. 224; _Chaves_, _Rapport_, in _Ternaux-Compans_,
_Voy._, série ii., tom. v., p. 316. The Chichimecs wore it, 'largo
hasta las espaldas, y por delante se lo cortan.' _Ixtlilxochitl_,
_Relaciones_, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. ix., p. 335.
[386] _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. ii., p. 224.
[387] _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., lib. x., p. 124.
[388] 'Llámase tambien Quaochpanme, que quiere decir hombres de cabeza
rapada ó raida, porque antiguamente estos tales no traían cabellos
largos, antes se rapaban la cabeza así los hombres, como las mugeres.'
_Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., lib. x., p. 137; _Brasseur de
Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., p. 57.
[389] _Beaumont_, _Crón. Mechoacan_, MS., p. 50.
[390] _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. iii., lib. iii., cap. xiv.
[391] 'Se raiaban las Caras.' _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i.,
p. 255; _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. ii., lib. viii., p. 310.
[392] _Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol. 75.
[393] _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., lib. x., pp. 124-6.
[394] _Duran_, _Hist. Indias_, MS., tom. i., cap. xxvi.
[395] _Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol. 317; _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec.
iii., lib. iii., cap. xii.; Clavigero, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom.
ii., p. 224, describes the ornaments, but in his accompanying plate
fails to show any of them. _Tezozomoc_, _Crónica Mex._, in
_Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. ix. pp. 79-80; _Purchas his
Pilgrimes_, vol. iv., p. 1119.
[396] 'De barro cocido bien bruñidas, ó de caña.' _Sahagun_, _Hist.
Gen._, tom. iii., lib. x., p. 124.
[397] _Id._, p. 137. The Totonacs 'traian vnos grandes agujeros en los
beços de abaxo, y en ellos vnas rodajas de piedras pintadillas de
azul, y otros con vnas hojas de oro delgadas, y en las orejas muy
grandes agujeros, y en ellos puestas otras rodajas de oro, y piedras.'
_Bernal Diaz_, _Hist. Conq._, fol. 28; _Cortés_, _Cartas_, p. 23.
[398] _Peter Martyr_, dec. iv., lib. vii.
[399] The Miztecs 'traen imán, axorcas muy anchas de oro, y sartales
de piedra á las muñecas, y joyeles de éstas y de oro al cuello.'
_Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., lib. x., p. 136; _Brasseur de
Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., p. 30.
[400] 'Ninguna Persona (aunque fuesen sus propios Hijos) podia
vestirlo, so pena de la vida.' _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. ii.,
p. 542; _Duran_, _Hist. Indias_, MS., tom. i., cap. xxvi.
[401] _Camargo_, _Hist. Tlax._, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843,
tom. xcviii., p. 198.
[402] 'Tan delgadas y bien texidas que necesitaban del tacto para
diferenciarse de la seda.' _Solis_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. i., p.
132; _Acosta_, _Hist. de las Ynd._, p. 507.
[403] _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. ii., pp. 115-16;
_Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. ii., p. 542.
[404] _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. ii., lib. viii., pp 286-8.
[405] _Tezozomoc_, _Crónica Mex._, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._,
vol. ix., p. 57.
[406] 'Para salir de Palacio los Reies à visitar los Templos, se
vestian de blanco; pero para entrar en los Consejos, y asistir en
otros Actos publicos, se vestian de diferentes colores, conforme la
ocasion.' _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. ii., p. 543. 'Les rois
s'habillaient tantôt de blanc, tantôt d'étoffes d'un jaune obscur
ornées de franges de mille couleurs.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist.
Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 284, tom. iv., pp. 210-11. 'Mantas de á dos
haces, labradas de plumas de papos de aves, tan suaves, que trayendo
la mano por encima á pelo y á pospelo, no era mas que una marta
cebellina muy bien adobada: hice pesar una dellas, no pesó mas de seis
onzas.' _Zuazo_, _Carta_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. i.,
p. 360. 'Vestidos de pelo de conejo y de algodon de mucha curiosidad,
y estas eran vestiduras de Caciques y de gente muy principal' in
Michoacan. _Beaumont_, _Crón. Mechoacan_, MS., pp. 49-50;
_Ixtlilxochitl_, _Hist. Chich._, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol.
ix., pp. 336, 240, 265; _Id._, _Relaciones_, in _Id._, p. 336;
_Oviedo_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., p. 298. Description of Montezuma's
dress when meeting Cortés, in _Solis_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. i., p.
369; _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. iii., p. 77;
_Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. iii., p. 386; _Prescott's Mex._,
vol. ii., p. 317. Representations of the dresses of the Mexican kings
and nobles are also in the _Codex Mendoza_, in _Kingsborough's Mex.
Antiq._, vol. i.
[407] 'Traia calçados vnos como cotaras, que assi se dize lo que se
calçan, las suelas de oro, y muy preciada pedreria encima en ellas.'
_Bernal Diaz_, _Hist. Conq._, fol. 65. 'Portoit une chaussure de peau
de chevreuil.' _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1824, tom. xxiv., p. 137.
'Çapatos de oro, que ellos llaman zagles, y son a la manera antigua de
los Romanos, tenian gran pedreria de mucho valor, las suelas estauan
prendidas con correas.' _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. ii., lib. vii.,
cap. v. 'Cotaras de cuero de tigres.' _Tezozomoc_, _Crónica Mex._, in
_Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. ix., p. 79; _Solis_, _Hist. Conq.
Mex._, tom. i., p. 369; _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., p. 525;
_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., pp. 210-11;
_Cortés_, _Cartas_, p. 85; _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. iii., p.
386; _Ixtlilxochitl_, _Relaciones_, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._,
vol. ix., p. 327; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. ii., pp. 73-4, 317.
[408] 'La corona de Rey, que tiene semejança a la corona de la Señoria
de Venecia.' _Acosta_, _Hist. de las Ynd._, p. 471. 'Unas tiaras de
oro y pedrería.' _Ixtlilxochitl_, _Hist. Chich._, in _Kingsborough's
Mex. Antiq._, vol. ix., p. 295. 'En la Cabeça vnos Plumajes ricos, que
ataban tantos cabellos de la Corona, quanto toma el espacio de la
Corona Clerical: estos Plumajes prendian y ataban con vna correa
colorada, y de ella colgaban con sus pinjantes de Oro, que pendian à
manera de chias de Mitra de Obispo.' _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._,
tom. ii., pp. 542-3. 'Era di varie materie giusta il piacere dei Re,
or di lame sottili d'oro or tessuta di filo d'oro, e figurata con
vaghe penne.' _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. ii., p.
115, tom. iii., p. 77. 'Before like a Myter, and behinde it was cut,
so as it was not round, for the forepart was higher, and did rise like
a point.' _Purchas his Pilgrimes_, tom. iv., p. 1062; _Veytia_, _Hist.
Ant. Mej._, tom. iii., p. 386; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. ii., p. 317;
_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., p. 210.
[409] _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. vii., lib. ii., pp. 288-90;
_Tezozomoc_, _Crónica Mex._, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol.
ix., pp. 57, 79; _Ixtlilxochitl_, _Hist. Chich._, in _Id._, p. 327;
_Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., p. 525; _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant.
Mej._, tom. i., p. 259, tom. iii., p. 392; _Camargo_, _Hist. Tlax._,
in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcix., p. 178. Further
mention of ornaments in the enumeration of presents given by Montezuma
to Cortés in _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. iii., pp.
65, 80; _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. ii., lib. v., cap. v.; _Oviedo_,
_Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., pp. 279, 283, 285, 292, 298; _Solis_, _Hist.
Conq. Mex._, tom. i., pp. 125, 132-3; _Purchas his Pilgrimes_, vol.
iv., pp. 1118-9, 1124; _Cortés_, _Cartas_, pp. 69, 85; _Brasseur de
Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., pp. 76, 84, 214, 263-4;
_Prescott's Mex._, vol. ii., p. 83. Among the modern authors who have
written upon the subject of dress may be mentioned: _Carbajal
Espinosa_, _Hist. Mex._, tom. i., pp. 326, 680-2, tom. ii., pp. 91,
224-5, with numerous cuts; _Bussierre_, _L'Empire Mex._, p. 145;
_Chevalier_, _Mex., Ancien et Mod._, pp. 57-8; _Dillon_, _Hist. Mex._,
p. 47; _Klemm_, _Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., pp. 13-14, 22, 28, 189;
_Monglave_, _Résumé_, p. 36; _Brownell's Ind. Races_, pp. 65, 79;
_Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 209; _Pimentel_, _Mem. sobre la Raza Indígena_,
p. 61.