JCC [Image heavy]A thread for art: See note on page 776

https://www.deviantart.com/artecomali/art/Snow-world-900347340


https://www.deviantart.com/ellysiumn/art/Magic-path-899787382

 

Deligaris: Fire and Blood

https://www.deviantart.com/deligaris/art/Fire-and-Blood-631072250

 

https://www.deviantart.com/nnnnoooo007/art/TAIWAN-Officelady-lunch-time-900325907


https://www.deviantart.com/nnnnoooo007/art/TAIWAN-Officelady-rainy-day-898997098

 

Moebius Crystal Saga, The Magic Crystal

 

https://www.deviantart.com/cadhla182/art/Gwen-899845985


https://www.deviantart.com/cadhla182/art/Relax-898841969


https://www.deviantart.com/cadhla182/art/Cap-n-898149871


https://www.deviantart.com/cadhla182/art/Savage-Laura-Commission-897954645


https://www.deviantart.com/cadhla182/art/Peggy-Carter-Commission-897376507


https://www.deviantart.com/cadhla182/art/Laura-897053127

 

Deligaris: Wandering Amazon

https://www.deviantart.com/deligaris/art/Wandering-Amazon-35963060

 

https://www.deviantart.com/kphillips702/art/Hands-of-Fate-Afro-geisha-896252549

 

https://www.deviantart.com/ldn-rdnt/art/Area-8-Aliens-Lair-889060906

"Contra Fan Art. A re-imagination of the last stage of the classic Run and Gun form the late 80s - Contra. "

 

https://www.deviantart.com/biorn-21/art/the-best-remedy-881029074

"If you offered someone a soothing tea, and he hasn't calmed down, just offer more tea"

 

https://www.deviantart.com/kamazotz/art/Lowland-Maya-Postclassic-Fashion-Set-343999681

Spoiler

UPDATE!
I decided to update this set I did in 2012 of the Maya clothing of the Yucatan peninsula. This time my focus is on the late postclassic (it used to be the postclassic in general) and now I have more references to make it more historically accurate. Here is my new version updated.

These outfits are reconstructions of lowland Maya fashion from the Late Postclassic period (c.1250-1521). These illustrations represent outfits that were worn prior to the Europeans’ arrivals. Technically, the Maya were independent from colonial rule up until 1697 (which some consider the official end of the Postclassic period). Some of these outfits vary in accuracy, but I did my best to be as exact as possible given the limited sources I had to work with. With all that said, I’ll briefly go over each outfit and lay out a few final notes at the end along with a list of the sources I used to create these illustrations.

So what comprises of the Maya Lowlands? Mostly the Yucatán peninsula (The Mexican states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatán) and the low regions of northern Guatemala and parts of Belize. This region has been home to the Maya people for thousands of years and still is today.

Female garments:

1. The pic (pyq) or skirt among the Yucatecan Maya. It was a rectangular cloth which was wrapped around and tied or tucked at the waist. Other varieties such as this one were sewn-closed and held together by a sash or belt. Normally they fell to the knees or ankles. It was the most basic garment for all women. It was made of hennequen or cotton. Note the body decoration - the use of red paint which gave a sweet odor and also served as makeup, and black tattoos. Men and women did both, with women avoiding tattoos on the breasts, and men also tattooing their legs and hands.

2. The hipcloth was a cloth garment perhaps folded, wrapped around the waist, and worn over her skirt. Like other garments of this period, the hem is notched.

3,4. The headcloth was a rectangular cloth worn over the head, and served as a top covering the shoulders and upper torso. While bare breasts seem to be commonplace, this was worn when one went to the market or traveled, perhaps as protection from the sun. (4) shows a netted variety mentioned.

5. The netted top covered the front and back and appears to be like a small netted cape or quechquemitl. This was specifically worn in the town of Chunchuchu.

6. The wrap-around dress was a rectangular cloth wrapped around the body, underneath the armpits and tied or tucked. This was worn in coastal areas like Bacalar and Campeche.

7. The huipil was a short, rectangular, sleeveless blouse which was said to come to the navel.

8-10. The quechquemitl was a garment made from two pieces of rectangular cloth which were sewn together at a perpendicular angle. This was folded back and sewn at the other end creating a “v” shape in the front and back (10). This left a hole for the head and created a poncho like drape around the body. (8) Shows a rounded edged variety, while (9) is a small quechquemitl.

11. A woman carrying an infant using a cloth that went on top of the breast and under the arm. The Moon Goddess in the Dresden Codex is seen carrying bearers in this fashion.

12. Women in this time practiced dental filing.

Children:

13. A 4 or 5 year old girl. At this age girls were given clothes for the first time. They wore a red shell tied to a string over their groin as a sign of virginity.

14. As the years went by, children underweant puberty rites and began to live seperately from each other. Girls wore distinctive hairstyles in 2 or 4 braids that formed “horns”.

15. A 4 or 5 year old boy. At this age boys were given clothes for the first time. Boys tied a white bead to their hair.

16. As boys got older they wore black paint on their bodies. Both boys and girls however, could not get tattoos until after marriage.

Ritual:

17. Kilt/Skirt. This style of skirt is worn by Bacab deities. Because it only appears among deities and is not mentioned in other sources, it was probably only worn by deity impersonators like among the Aztecs. It is speculated this style was imported from the Toltecs.

18. Priest. Among the high priests described by Bernal Díaz del Castillo were a group described as wearing long white robes to their feet. It is unclear if this refers to a long cape or long tunic. He also describes their hair matted and soaked in blood.

19. This is a type of priest called a Chac, who participated in children’s baptism rituals and also were one of four people who held down sacrificed individuals. He wears a feathered tunic with long feathers in the back, a feathered cap, paper headband and blue paint priests wore. These priests were said to be elderly men.

Male garments:

20. The halach uinic. At this time, the Yucatan peninsula was composed of small city-states. The halach uninic or “true man” was the title of the ruler of one these polities. To achieve this status one needed to speak the languange of zuyua which were a series of answers to riddles.

21. The ex (esh) or loincloth among the Yucatecan Maya was the basic male garment. It was made from a long strip of rectangular cotton cloth that was wrapped between the legs and around the waist. It was tied in the back while two flaps left over hung in front and behind.

22. The wrap-around loincloth was made from a very long strip of cloth that was twisted and wrapped around the body 20-30 times until it reached just below the armpits. This works as both a loincloth and armor. The Maya wore cotton armor which was fairly effective and good for their climate.

23. The hipcloth was worn over the loincloth; much like the women’s it was worn over their skirts.

24. Ichcauhuipilli was cotton armor worn in a similar manner to other places in Mesoamerica.

25. The xicolli or jacket was a sleeveless top with ties at the front. Lengths varied only slightly.

26-29. The cape worn in its most typical fashion with ties at the front. Lengths varied from short to medium. (28) Shows a cape with a knot on the chest, but one side wraps under the arm while another goes over the opposite shoulder. This style was worn in the town of Mama. (29) is a cape worn in the town of Chunchuchu, with a tie over the left shoulder. (27) shows a cape worn in front and tied at the back.

—————————————————————————————————-

Final notes:

-Clothing was made by women on a back-strap loom. Both commoners and noblewomen wove clothes for their family or to sell at the market. Commoners also provided clothing for tribute payments. In the case of the elites, the same was true, but some were also used between gift exchanges at gatherings. These were much more elaborate.
-One interesting feature that seems unique to the region and era is the notched hem in almost all the garments.

-Maya clothing is still worn in some contemporary Maya communities (mostly by females, a few men, and daykeepers) and while it has changed over time, it is still an ongoing tradition and a sign of cultural identity.

-The Maya related their forced conversion to Christianity to their change of clothes when the Spaniards arrived. The Friars considered the indigenous clothing to be indecent so they forced them to adopt more European styles. To the Maya, Christianization was like a change of clothes because of the friars obligatory dress code that came with the new religion - according to the Books of Chilam Balam.


Sources:

Referencias/References:
-Arlen F. Chase, Prudence M. Rice. 1985. The Lowland Maya Postclassic. University of Texas Press.
-Codice Dresden.
-Codice Madrid.
-Codice Paris.
-Díaz del Castillo, Bernal. 1632. La Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España.
-Diego de Landa. 1566. Relación de las cosas de Yucatán.
-Lopez de Gomara, Francisco 1966. Cortes: The Life of the Conqueror of Mexico by His Secretary, Francisco Lopez de Gomara.
-Herrera, A.1726-30. Historia General de los hechos de los Castillanos en las islas i tierra firme del mar oceano (5 vol).
-Jordan, Keith. 2016. AGENCY, ALTERITY, APPROPRIATION: POSTCLASSIC LOWLAND MAYA USES AND MODIFICATIONS OF THE -“MIXTECA-PUEBLA” OR “INTERNATIONAL” STYLE. Ancient Mesoamerica, 27.
-José María Asensio (reprint). 1898-1900. Relaciones de Yuactan (2 vol).
-Lynn V. Foster. 2002. Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World. -Marilyn A. Masson
- In the Realm of Nachan Kan: Postclassic Maya Archaeology at Laguna De On, Belize-University Press of Colorado (2001)
-Mary Ellen Miller. 2014. Maya Art and Architecture 2nd ed.
-Milbrath, S., & Peraza Lope, C. (2003). REVISITING MAYAPAN: Mexico's last Maya capital. Ancient Mesoamerica, 14(1), 1-46. doi:10.1017/S0956536103132178 -mediateca.inah.gob.mx/reposito…
-Murales de Santa Rita, Belize. -Murales de Tancah.
-Murales de Tulum, Structure 5.
-Patricia R. Anawalt. 1990. Indian Clothing before Cortes
-Peraza Lope, Carlos and Susan Milbrath. 2010. “El Escribano de Mayapán, Yucatán.” Arqueología Mexicana 18 (104): 18-20.
-Stresser-Pean, Claude. 2011. Des vêtements et des hommes. Une perspective historique du vêtement indigène au Mexique. Le vêtement precortésien.
-Robert J. Sharer with Loa P. Traxler. 2006. The Ancient Maya (sixth edition).
-Taub, K.A.. 1992. The Major Gods of Ancient Yucatan (Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection).
--Taube, Karl. 2010. At Dawn’s Edge: Tulúm, Santa Rita, and Floral Symbolism in the International Style of Late Postclassic Mesoamerica. (Astronomers, Scribes, and Priests: Intellectual Interchange between the Northern Maya Lowlands and Highland Mexico in the Late Postclassic Period, ed. by Hernández, Christine y Vail, Gabrielle.)
-Wauchope, R and Cline, H. 1972. Guide to Ethnohistorical Sources Part I (Handbook of Middle American Indians Vol 12).

You may use these outfits as inspirations for your own works, but be sure to ask me first. And give credit if you do.

https://www.deviantart.com/kamazotz/art/Late-Classic-Maya-clothing-887696530

Spoiler

Male garments:

The Loincloth. This was a long strip of cloth wrapped between the legs and wrapped around the waist with a flap dangling forward and behind. Other varieties sometimes show two flaps, or sometimes the middle was narrower or knotted. The length of loincloths also varied, as did their width, and some were decorated with stone or other materials. Loincloths were the basic male garment.


The Hipcloth or Skirt. Another common garment for males was the hip cloth, which was a wide piece of cloth wrapped around the waist and tied in place. Sometimes this was secured by either a belt or a loin cloth. Lengths varied from above the knees to past them. The terms for this garment varied, some calling them hip cloths (Anawalt 1981), while others use skirt (Tremain 2017). For this study I have used both terms. Less common are a variant with rectangular flaps, referred here as a flapped skirt.


Animal Skins. While most clothes were made with cotton, maguey, yucca, or ceiba fiber, in some scenes (such as hunting and captive presentations) animal skins were worn as jackets, hip cloths, capes, or as part of people’s adornments. Jaguar, deer, and rabbit skins appear most frequently.


The Cape was a rectangular piece of cloth worn around the neck which covered the shoulders. The lengths varied between very short to very long, even dragging past the feet. They were usually worn covering the back, and tied at the front either by the ends of the cape or with clasps, such as the long cape here shows with spondylus shells. Others included the “front cape” which covered the front of the body. These also varied in length and were either very narrow or wide enough to cover the shoulders, such as. Some also wore a feather cape.


The Xicolli. This was a sleeveless jacket that was tied at the front with strings.


The Robe. This appears to be very similar to the xicolli, only it worn to around the knees.


The Ichcahuipilli. This was a thick cotton armor similar to gambeson. It was used by warriors for war. Sometimes these were decorated with animal skins or feathers.


The Tlahuiztli. For a fuller protection, some warriors wore tlahuiztlis which were body-encasing clothing decorated with feathers. These are seen especially in the island of Jaina, Campeche.


The Ajaw. This was the king or ruler of a Maya polity in the Classic period. This one is based on Lord Bird Jaguar IV of Yaxchilan. The ceremonial headdresses of these kings are sometimes seen in public monuments such as stelae, where they also carry elements like the double-headed serpent bar, K'awiil scepter, and elaborate backracks and headdresses with many quetzal feathers. Aside from these symbols of power, everyday wear shows many rulers dressed similar to others in the court. Next to him shows an ajaw with a more ceremonious regalia, this one is based on Shield Jaguar II of the Wak kingdom.


Accesories/Misc.:

The Scarf. Scarves are also difficult to access what their meaning was, whether purely aesthetic, symbolic or practical or all of the above. Sometimes 'sacrificial scarves' as they are popularly known are seen on figures bloodletting or associated with captives and human sacrifice (Coe 1973). Other times they are worn in combat scenes, by warriors, or ritual combatants like boxers (A neckguard?).


The Waist band. This was a thin band wrapped around the midriff seen being worn by rulers and people in the court. Its exact meaning is unknown.


The Ballplayer yoke. To play the ballgame, players usually used a protective hip guard which also served to help bounce the rubber ball. These were probably made of wicker, and perhaps covered with leather. Some ballplayers also had a knee pad and arm guard to allow low movements in the ballcourts.


Gauze weaves. The gauze weave is a special and more complex type of weaving that crosses even warp threads over odd ones (or the other way around) before the weft thread is introduced. This produces loose warp and weft threads which from afar can create a diaphanous look to the clothing. Sometimes it is combined with regular plain weaving. Examples here can be seen as a skirt and cape.


Female garments:

The skirt was a wide rectangular garment wrapped around and fastened about the waist. Usually this fell somewhere between knee and ankle length. This was usually the main item of clothing for women and was sometimes worn with an upper body garment. However, this was probably more typical amongst noblewomen; for many commoners it was probably the sole garment (Stone 2011).


The Shawl. This appears to be a rectangular strip of cloth wrapped around the body around the arms and shoulders. I have shown how this looks from the front.


Quechquemitl was a rounded upper body garment that covered the front and back and usually exposed the sides. It is sometimes referred to as a quechquemitl-cape (Stresser-Pean 2011) or 'rounded quechquemitl' (Anawalt 1981). Stone suggests this was a more northern style, as seen in Jaina and later Yucatecan Maya, while those of the south favored the huipil and sarong (2011: 169). Some of the types worn by the Maya in Campeche's northern coast appear to be similar to Teotihuacan's, however, like the huipils, some of them also have low necklines. Other quechquemitls have a more normal, rounded look like those of Veracruz.


The Head Cloth. This is a cloth worn over the head (probably rectangular). It is like a headscarf or a shawl. In later periods this served as a sole upperbody garment. Here it is worn with a quechquemitl with a rounded hem.


The Huipil was a sleeveless blouse. The example here in dark blue is more typical in terms of length, however, the decorations imply this was worn by nobility. Notably she is also wearing sandals, which some noblewomen wore. Some huipils were very large which were typical among noblewomen as well. Some of these appear to be worn with a skirt underneath, however, in other examples no skirt is seen at all, and for larger huipils it may have been the sole garment. The neckline also varies in size and shape. Some went around the clavicle area while others slung so low it revealed most of the breasts, such as the rectangular huipil collar seen here. Houston has suggested some of these low necklines that appear in figurines of vending women at markets could also be related to a type of profession similar to the Postclassic Mexica's ahuinanime (2014).


The wrap around dress or sarong as it’s alternatively called, was a rectangular cloth wrapped underneath the arms and around the body. This garment is seen almost as much, if not more than the huipil and seems to have been fairly common. It was worn as an upper body garment with a skirt or as a sole garment covering most of the body. In some occasions this garment was worn just under the breasts. Some variants wear the wrap around dress with one of the ends pulled over the shoulder rather than being tucked in. This will hold due to the balanced weight of the ends hanging over the shoulder. V. Vázquez López suggests this was probably worn by servants since it appears in those contexts. This example is from Calakmul and is seen here from the front and side view.


The Cape. Women typically wore capes over their their huipils or sarongs as a kind of outerwear. Many don't appear to be tied to anything in particular, and they may just have been draped over. Perhaps some may have used clasps like those in Bonampak.


The Gauze Weave. Some women also used garments woven in the gauze manner. One example here shows a woman wearing only a huipil in gauze weave. Two others wear sheer huipils over a wrap around dress; the former is worn in the manner that tucks under the breasts.


Ballplayer. This is based on one of the few depictions of female ballplayers. Whether this represents an actual ballplayer or a ceremonial outfit worn by a woman for the games is not known.


Ix Ajaw. The Ix ajaw or queen usually dressed like the other noblewomen but ceremonious occassions had some wear more elaborate outfits like their husbands. Shark iconagrophy like in this in woman's belt are sometimes seen. The netted jade emrboidered onto her huipil and skirt (or possibly the lower half of the huipil) recalled imagery of the Moon goddess who was so important to fertility and Maya women in particular.


Sources:

-Anawalt, Patricia R. 1981. Indian Clothing before Cortés: Mesoamerican Costumes from the Codices. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.

-Anawalt, Patricia Rieff. 2005. “Atuendos del México antiguo”, Arqueología Mexicana, edición especial, núm. 19, Raíces, México, pp. 10-19.

-Coe. 1973. The Maya Scribe and His World. New York: Grolier Club. (p.28).

-Halperin, Christina T. 2016. Classic Maya Translucent Cloth and the Making of Value.

-Houston, Stephen. 2014. mayadecipherment.com/2014/06/0…

-Houston, Stephen, David Stuart, and Karl Taube. 2006. The Memory of Bones: Body, Being, and Experience among the Classic Maya. University of Texas Press, Austin.

-research.mayavase.com/kerrmaya…

-Looper, Mathew. 2009. To Be Like Gods: Dance in Ancient Maya Civilization. University of Texas Press, Austin.

-Martin, Simon and Grube, Nikolai. 2008. Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering The Dynasties of the Ancient Maya.

-McVicker, D. (2012). FIGURINES ARE US? THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF JAINA ISLAND, CAMPECHE, MEXICO. Ancient Mesoamerica, 23(2), 211-234.

-Murals:

Bonampak Structure 1.

Calakmul Chiik Nahb Structure Sub 1-4.

-Stone, Andrea j. 2011. Keeping Abreast of the Maya: A Study of the Female Body in Maya Art. Ancient Mesoamerica 22:167-183.

-Stone, Andrea J. and Marc Zender. 2011. Reading Maya Art: A Hieroglyphic Guide to Ancient Maya Painting and Sculpture. Thames and Hudson, London.

-Stresser-Pean, Claude. 2011. Des vêtements et des hommes. Une perspective historique du vêtement indigène au Mexique. Le vêtement precortésien.

-Tremain, Cara Grace. 2017. A Study of Dress and Identity in the Late Classic Maya Court.

-Vázquez López, Verónica A. 2012. The Weaving of Power: Women's Clothing and Protocol in the 7th Century Kingdom of Kanu'l. Latin American Indian Literature Journal, Vol. 27 no. 1, Spring 2011: 50-95.

https://www.deviantart.com/kamazotz/art/Olmec-formative-clothing-887697245

Spoiler

This illustration shows the Olmec clothing worn in the Formative period. While this is typically between 1500 BCE – 250 CE, most of the figures here correspond to 1200 BCE – 400 BCE. The primary sources come from figurines, stone sculptures, murals, reliefs, stelae and archeological excavations done in some Olmec sites. Most sites are in the Olmec ‘heartland’ known as Olman in the Gulf Coast, however some Olmec related sites in Guatemala, Chiapas, Juxtlahuaca, Canton Corralito and Oxtotitlan did aid. The main sites used for this study were, La Venta, San Lorenzo, Tres Zapotes, San Andres, Laguna de los Cerros, Loma del Zapote and La Joya. One of the most helpful studies to aid in these reconstructions were those Dr. Billie Follensbee’s who investigated for decades Olmec gender and sex representation and their clothing. Fibers for cloth included cotton and maguey, but some of the stiffer more flared garments may have been of bark paper. Women typically had buns, braids partially or fully shaven heads, ponytails, helmets, frontal hair locks or turbans. Men typically had crescent shaped helmets with a rectangular frame around the face, conical hats, cloth headdresses, shaved heads or tonsured hair styles. Higher status individuals wore headbands and sometimes towering headdresses. Women typically wore lower face masks and ear pendants along with earspools and button ear ornaments. Men wore button ear ornaments and earspools but no ear pendants and usually are depicted with facial hair and/or false beards. Based on the figurines both appear to have practiced cranial modification. Some masks also depict dental filing. Figurines, sculptures and masks also show the use of red (possibly hematite) paint and/or tattoos. Let us now look at the figures presented here.

1-4. Pubic aprons. One of the most recurring garments that appears on female figurines are the pubic aprons. Most figurines are nude, but some presume they were clothed with small perishable garments. There are also those which have molded clay garments on them. Pubic aprons are made of a string or belt which was tied either at the sides (1) or back (3A) which held a flap that covered the genitals. Some flaps covered the rear like in (2A) while others left the buttocks bare. Shapes included the rounded, rectangular (3) and triangular (4) varieties. Some included embroidery at the hems (2). These garments were all tied around the waist and slung low which was typically the way females wore their lower body garments. Note, the third figure which also wears a scarf or cloth fillet.

5-7. Belts. Belts were also typically worn at the hips and were worn alone (5) or with a pubic apron (6). The latter example is a beaded belt worn as a string of jade beads. The apron itself is decorated with small jade spangle pieces. This, plus the beaded belt pieces and the ear ornaments, including ear pendants were found in Tomb C of La Venta. Carolyn Tate suggests this commemorated a midwife or healer. Other objects found included small mini skulls carved of crystal which may have been used along with the quartz as divination stones. As mentioned above ear pendants appear to be something exclusively worn by females. Figure (7) Is based on a female figurine wearing a wide belt at the waist. Belts worn at the waist were very rarely worn by women and this may indicate on extremely specific circumstances the placement of the belt could have held a certain status or used in a role that was mostly, but not limited to the use of men.

8-11. Skirts. Skirts were a wrap-around cloth worn in a low-slung manner at the hips. The lengths varied between short (8) which extended from the hips to the crotch, medium (9), which extended from the hips to the thigh, and long (10), which extended to the knees or just below the knees. Another type of skirt was the stripped skirt (11), and this may have been made of bark paper. This figure was based on La Venta Stela 1. Skirts were worn alone or held together with a belt/sash.

12,13. Breast bands. This garment was a cloth that wrapped around the upper torso. Some covered the breasts (see below figures) while others were worn under the breast (12) or above the abdomen partially on the breast (13). In the latter’s case it is worn by a pregnant woman. Both of these figures are based on figurines from San Andres; however this garment also appears in La Venta.

14-16. Suspenders. Suspenders were sometimes worn with breast bands like figure (14) shows or worn alone (15). The former is based on the San Antonio Suchitepequez Monument 1, an Olmec related relief in Guatemala that depicts a woman wearing a breast band and suspenders in addition to a multi-layered belt (typically a male garment) worn at the hips in the manner typical of females. Follensbee suggests this is an example of an elite woman who has appropriated a usually male role or status in adopting the multi-layered belt. The latter mentioned figure is based on Stela D of Tres Zapotes. This too depicts a powerful ruler with a thick wide belt but worn high at the waist. The headdress was unfortunately too eroded to make out - hence its absence. Lastly, we have (16) who is based on an incised celt currently in the Xalapa museum which depicts an elite ruler with suspenders and breast bands. Upon further inspection this figure appears to me as a female ruler, which Karl Taube also believes to be the case. She wears a tiered feathered cape and wings which evoke an avian look, associating her with the avian master, the sun deity. Her headdress also has multiple deities with a representation of sprouting maize at the top, the maize deity head, followed by the “Olmec dragon” or Earth monster and lastly the bird monster just above the headband.

17-19. Capes. Capes varied between waist and ankle length. Olmec capes were attached to a cord, string or cloth fillet that was tied rather than tying the ends of the cape in knot like later Mesoamerican peoples. This manner of wearing the cape is also seen in the late Formative era West Mexican Shaft Tomb cultures. (17) is worn at the side and is based on a figurine from San Lorenzo worn by a girl with a short skirt. (18) is worn with the ties at front and is based on Monument 47 of San Lorenzo. The final example (19) wears a long cape or possible two capes. This is worn by a ruler on the slightly eroded Stela 3 of La Venta. She also wears a breast band that covers her breasts.

20. Jacket. The jacket or sometimes called vest is a sleeveless open upper-body garment. While this typically appears more as a male garment, some figurines such as this one from La Venta show at least some women wore it as well. No visible ties are shown, and it is depicted open so it may have been intended to be worn in this manner.

21. Tunic. The Tunic was a sleeveless upper-body garment that was sewn-closed and usually reached about thigh length. This example is from Monument 11 of Loma del Zapote. Over the tunic she wears a multi-layered robed belt tied at the front. Hanging under this belt is a feathered pubic apron.

22-24. Loincloth and Belt. The loincloth worn by men was secured in place by a belt or sash at the waistline. The loincloth itself wrapped between the legs of the man and usually tied to the belt at the back (22A). This contrasts with the pubic apron worn by women which had no cloth running between the legs and only consisted of flaps. The male loincloth sometimes also had a flap at the front, side or back (23). (24) includes an underwear-like garment that may have been a loincloth wrapped around the body and between the legs without a belt.

26. Multi-layered Belt. Men wore their belts at the waist level and included varieties which were wide or multi-layered. Sometimes this was with ropes/cords, other times smaller belts were wrapped around larger ones such as this figure shows (26A). This figure has a few flaps from this loincloth dangling at the back and front. He is based on Monument 13 of La Venta.

25, 27, 28. Skirts. Some men wear skirts held together by their belts worn at the waist. (25) wears his loincloth over the skirt to wrap around it. These do not appear to be typical male garments, but they occasionally appear on figurines. (27) is based an Olmec piece from Puebla while (28) is from a mural from Oxtotitlan.

29,30. Hip Cloths. Some figurines appear with cloths wrapped around the hips that are accompanied with the loincloth and belt. (29) wears a loincloth flap over the belt and hip cloth. Other figures with hipcloths appear in Chalcatzingo Mounument 2. However, one of the figures Follensbee notes is possibly a female of high status who may have appropriated this garment, or it could be the possible representation of a gender variant individual. (30) is based on a figurine from San Andres which appears to show a man in a rectangular hip cloth.

31. Jacket. Much like the example seen above (20), these sleeveless jackets appear to be open. However, one example does appear to be closed there are still no visible ties. This example (31) comes from a male figurine from La Joya. In addition to the jacket this figure also wears a scarf or cloth fillet. Some figurines also show them wearing round pendants.

32. Tunic. Like the example above worn by a female figure (21), this is a sewn-closed sleeveless garment that extended to the thighs. This example (32) is worn by a ruler, possibly a king depicted in a mural from Juxtlahuaca. This is also one of the earliest portraits of a ruler in Mesoamerica.

33-36. Capes. The first example (33) wears a more simple, plain cape with ties at the front. The fringed element at the hem is based on what appears to be a cape from a figurine in San Andres. He also wears a multi-layered cord belt. The second figure (34) wears a fancier, decorated cape with cords and ties as well as what appears to be layered strips above. The strips may have been of bark paper as Rosemary Joyce suggested some of the stripped or stiff flaring cloth shown in formative period clothing may have been made of bark paper. This may also be the case of some capes and skirts like (16). He also wears folded bark paper flanking his face, which has been suggested of an association with rain deities. This figure is based on Monument 77 of La Venta. The third figure (35) is another high-status individual who wears a long cape. The headpiece is partially based on the side figures depicted in La Venta’s Altar 5. The main body which includes the pectoral, cape, loincloth and belt are based on Monument 19 of Laguna de los Cerros. Unfortunately, much of this monument’s head area was missing or eroded. The final example is a figure who wears a feathered cape and suspenders. Like figure (16) this person also is imbued with divine elements in their costume. At the top of his headdress the face of possibly the maize deity is depicted topped with a vegetal trefoil likely representing maize. The celts on his headdress under the deity possibly depict maize ears according to Karl Taube. This figure is based on a diopside small stone sculpture from Rio Pesquero, Veracruz.

Sources:

Arnold, Philip J., and Billie J. A. Follensbee. “EARLY FORMATIVE ANTHROPOMORPHIC FIGURINES FROM LA JOYA, SOUTHERN VERACRUZ, MEXICO.” Ancient Mesoamerica, vol. 26, no. 1, 2015, pp. 13–28. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/26301945.

Backes, C., Cheetham, D., & Neff, H. 2012. The Color of Influence: A Provenance Study of Hematite-Based Paints on Early Olmec Carved Pottery. Latin American Antiquity, 23(1), 70-92.

Benson, Elizabeth P., and Beatriz de la Fuente, eds. 1996. Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art.

Cheetham, David. 2006. EARLY OLMEC FIGURINES FROM TWO REGIONS: STYLE AS CULTURAL IMPERATIVE (presented at the 1st Annual Braunstein Symposium, Marjorie Barrick Museum, UNLV, January 2006)

Cheetham, David. 2007. Cantón Corralito: Objects from a Possible Gulf Olmec Colony.

Clewlow, Carl William, Jr. 1974. A Stylistic and Chronological Study of Olmec Monumental Sculpture.

Coe, Michael D., and Richard A. Diehl. 1980. In the Land of the Olmec. Vol. 1, The Archaeology of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Coe, Michael D. 2007. web.archive.org/web/2007101812…

Cyphers Guillén, Ann. 1989. “Cultos y cuentos: Reflexiones en torno a las figurillas de Chalcatzingo, Morelos.” In El preclásico o formativo: Avances y perspectivas, coordinated by Martha Carmona, 207–21. Mexico City: Consejo Nacional Para la Cultura y las Artes.

Cyphers, Ann, “La escultura monumental ”, Arqueología Mexicana, Edición especial, núm. 94, pp. 14-15. December, 2020.

Drucker, Philip. 1943. Ceramic Sequences at Tres Zapotes, Veracruz, Mexico. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 140. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

Drucker, Philip. 1952. La Venta, Tabasco: A Study of Olmec Ceramics and Art. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 153. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

Drucker, Philip, Robert F. Heizer, and Robert Squier. 1959. Excavations at La Venta, Tabasco, 1955. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 170. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

Follensbee, Billie J. A. 2008. FIBER TECHNOLOGY AND WEAVING IN FORMATIVE-PERIOD GULF COAST CULTURES. Ancient Mesoamerica, 19, pp 87-110

Follensbee, Billie J. A. 2009. “Formative Period Gulf Coast Ceramic Figurines: The Key to Identifying Sex, Gender, and Age Groups in Gulf Coast Olmec Imagery.” In Mesoamerican Figurines: Small-Scale Indices of Large-Scale Social Phenomena, ed. Christina Halperin, Katherine A. Faust, Rhonda Taube, and Aurore Giguet, 76–118. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.

Orr, H. & Looper, M.G.. 2014. Wearing culture: Dress and regalia in early Mesoamerica and central America.

Scher, S. E., & Follensbee, B. J. (Eds.). 2017. Dressing the part: Power, dress, gender, and representation in the Pre-Columbian Americas. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida.

Tate, Carolyn E. 2012. Reconsidering Olmec Visual Culture. University of Texas Press.

Tway, Maria B. Derilo. 2004. Gender, Context, and Figurine Use: Ceramic Images from the Formative Period San Andrés Site, Tabasco, Mexico.

Weiant, Clarence Wolsey. 1943. An Introduction to the Ceramics of Tres Zapotes, Veracruz, Mexico. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 157. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

https://www.deviantart.com/kamazotz/art/Aztec-Postclassic-clothing-887699435

Spoiler

Males:

Maxtlatl. The loincloth was a rectangular strip that went between the legs, around the waist, and tied either in the front or back, with either one flap dangling in front over the legs or in front and back. This was the basic male garment.

Tzinipilli. This hip cloth was a rectangular cloth, usually folded like a triangle and tied on the right or left side of the hip.

Tilmatl. The cape was a rectangular piece of cloth of varying lengths from short to long. It was tied over the shoulder, usually on the right or in front, and either draped under the opposite arm around the body or over the shoulder. In times of cold a second cape could be draped over the body. While these depict cotton capes, commoners usually wore ixtle or maguey fiber capes. While this was typically the fiber of commoners, maguey mantles were also made into very fine, perhaps gauze textiles which nobles and rulers also enjoyed. The Otomi were especially skillful in producing fine maguey mantles and sent these as tribute to the Aztecs. Some mantles combined fibers with woven feathers and rabbit fur which gave capes a silky feel and sheen look while also providing great warmth and softness during the cold. The cuechintli or netted cape was worn by the Master of Youths or Teachcauh who were teachers at the school for commoners known as the telpochcalli. Their dress was modeled after the deity, Tezcatlipoca. A cuachic warrior wears a rope-like netted cape known as the chalcayatl which is decorated with balls of feathers, while others used shell.

Rain cape. This reconstruction is hypothetical but in use by Nahuas in the early modern era. It is made of palm leaves and protects from the rainy weather. Given the rainy season of the valley of Mexico it's probable this was worn then too.

Xicolli. This was a sleeveless jacket that was tied in front or sewn-closed and slipped on. The xicolli was used only by certain officials and in rituals (some priests, ixiptla’s etc.). The figure here shows a priest with a xicolli in black body paint.

Ichcahuipilli. This was a thick open-sewn cotton jacket that served as armor much like gambeson. It was tied either at the front or back by the nape.

Tlahuiztli. This was a limb-encasing garment that typically covered the whole body. This was then decorated with feathers in various designs. The tlahuiztli was sometimes worn over an ichcahuipilli and this whole garment served as a full body protection. The ties for the tlahuiztli were always in the back by the nape.

Ehuatl. This was a garment used for war by only military leaders and commanders. It had feathers dangling over the legs. It was decorated with feathers in various colors, which indicated perhaps the rank and association with deity. This garment appears to have been more popular among the Acolhuan’s.

Tlatoani. This is a depiction of a Tlatoani (lit. speaker) who was the ruler of an altepetl (city-state polity). He wears the xiuhuiztli (turquoise diadem crown), the yacaxihuil (turquoise horizontal nose rod), xiuhtentetl (turquoise lip plug), xiuhtlalpiltilmatl (turquoise cape with colorful stones), centzonmaxtlatl (multicolor loincloth) icxitecuecuextli (gold greaves), xiuhcactli (turquoise sandals) and while not seen, he also has a turquoise bracelet and gold armbands. All of these were symbols of power unique to the Tlatoque (pl.) and Lords. The blue capes can be linked back to the prestige of the Toltecs who the Aztecs held in great reverence and whose rulers they tried to link their heritage with. There is a possible heritage even further back to Teotihuacan.

Females:

The skirt or cuēitl was a rectangular garment which was wrapped around the body and fastened at the waist by its ends or with a sash (tlaxochtli). Or it was sewn-closed and held together with a sash. The high waisted skirt was held by a rope and reached just below the breast. Skirt lengths varied from knee to ankle length.

The huīpīlli was a sleeveless blouse with an opening for the head and arms. Large ones were composed of 3 lienzos and extended to the wrists. The huipil came in various lengths: short, medium length and long. More decorated varieties are seen here worn by noblewomen one of which wears sandals. Sandals were typically only wore during long trips. Some huipils had feathers woven into the garment. In the example here the feathers are used to form the eagle head design and on garment’s fringe. For the cold two huipiles were layered on.

Facial and body paint for women:

Red cochineal on the lips and stained teeth. This was especially favored by the ahuianime. Aztec noblewomen sometimes painted their necks, hands, breasts and stomach. These were sometimes painted with stamps. Note, they also used the yellow axin to color their skin. Sometimes cheeks were also painted with a black stripe.

Ceremonial clothing:

The quechquemitl for the Aztecs appears to only have been a ritual garment, often used by deity impersonators of goddesses. It is a cape-like rectangular cloth slipped over the head which produced a triangular shape when seen from the front and back. It covered the shoulders, chest and back, but was open on the sides. It was worn over either a huipil or a single top.

The Kilt is a skirt with strips of cotton or bark paper worn around the waist. Some deity impersonators use them.

Flayed skin worn by an impersonator of an previous ixiptla who was sacrificed the year before. Ixiptla's and priests wore these. Some tlatoani are seen wearing these in battle as well.

Children:

Girls aged 3 years old recieved their first clothing, a huipil. Like the boys, girls had shaved heads. At the age of 4, girls recieved their first skirt. Between ages 4 and 12 girls wore huipils and skirts with tattered hems. Girls had shaved or short hair around these ages. At the age of 13, girls got a skirt with a good edge. Around this age girls would have had long hair. By 14, they wore huipils and skirts like adult women.

Boys aged 3 years old wore a cape with a rugged hem. Boys wore capes as a sole garment until the age of 6. At the age of 7, boys began wearing loincloths and dressing like the men. Their hair however would remain shaven until later ages. Their hairstyles in adulthood would depend on their performance in battle or other circumstances.

Sources:

-Aguilar-Moreno, Manuel. 2005. Handbook To Life In The Aztec World.

-Alarcón, Luis Armando de la Luz. 2019. Indumentaria nahua Ropa y ornamento de los nahuas de la Cuenca de México Siglo XVI.

-Anawalt, Patricia Rieff. 1986. Indian Clothing Before Cortes.

-Anawalt, Patricia Rieff. 2005. “Atuendos del México antiguo”, Arqueología Mexicana, edición especial, núm. 19, Raíces, México, pp. 10-19.

-Anawalt, Patricia Rieff. 1996. Aztec Knotted and Netted Capes. Ancient Mesoamerica, 7, pp 187-206 doi:10.1017/S0956536100001401

-Bravo, Isabel B. 2012. Las Armas y los Uniformes de los Guerreros Aztecas.

-Clavijero, Francisco, Javier. Historia antigua de Mexico, 4 vol.

-Codex Magliabechiano

-Codex Azcatitlan

-Codex Borbonicus

-CodexTelleriano Remensis

-Codex Tovar

-Cordry and Cordry. 1968. Mexican Indian Costumes.

-Corona Nuñez, José. 1958. Relaciones geográficas de la diocesis de Michoacán 1579-80. Colección “Siglo XVI”

-Frances F. Berdan, Patricia Rieff Anawalt. 1997. The Essential Codex Mendoza.

-Hassig Ross. 1988. Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control.

-Heyden, Doris (trans) 1541 (1994). A History of the Indies of New Spain by Diego Duran.

-Olko, Justyna. 2014. Insignia of Rank in the Nahua World: From the Fifteenth to the Seventeenth Century.

-Sahagún, Bernardino de (1997) [ca.1558–61]. Primeros Memoriales. Civilization of the American Indians series vol. 200, part 2. Thelma D. Sullivan (English trans. and paleography of Nahuatl text), with H.B. Nicholson, Arthur J.O. Anderson, Charles E. Dibble, Eloise Quiñones Keber, and Wayne Ruwet (completion, revisions, and ed.).

-Sahagún, Bernardo de. (2002) [1590]. Florentine Codex, trans. Charles E. Dibble and Arthur J.O. Anderson, in 3 parts, vol 1-13.

-Sepúlveda y Herrera, María Teresa. 2013. Las mantas en documentos pictográficos y en crónicas coloniales.

-Smith, Michael E. 2003. The Aztecs 2nd edition.

-Soustelle, Jacques. 1961. Daily Life of the Aztecs on the Eve of the Spanish Conquest.

-Stresser-Pean, Claude. 2011. Des vêtements et des hommes. Une perspective historique du vêtement indigène au Mexique. Le vêtement precortésien.

https://www.deviantart.com/kamazotz/art/Aztec-Atamalcualiztli-ceremonial-clothing-887700324

Spoiler

Celebration:

The atamalcualiztli festival occurred every 8 years, where people celebrated by fasting and consuming only water tamales. This ceremony was overlapped during the Quecholli and Huey Tecuilhuitl month festivals and it celebrated a liminal moment:

Tezcatlipoca seduces Xochiquetzal, maize resurges, clouds form in the mountains, birds, who also represent dead souls, announce the rains, Tlazolteotl gives birth, and the sun appears with the help of Venus.

Costumed Participants:

1. The “Mazatecatl” (pl. Mazatecah). These were brave people who swallowed snakes and frogs whole from a pond.

2-6. The bird dancers. The birds here seem to represent messengers of the underworld and the souls of the dead such as the crow, and owls, and also birds associated with the sun who announce the rains like the hummingbirds.

The Teteoh who “arrive”:

The ixiptla's or deity impersonators consisted of the following: the Tlaloque who come in a group of five, Tlaochcalcatl Yaotl, Chicomecoatl, Xilonen, an unspecified pulque God, Napatecuhtli, Macuilxochitl, Xochipilli, Tzaputlatena, Tezacoac Ayopechtli, Ixcozauhqui, and Tezcatlipoca. Xochiquetzal appears by a tree, weaving on a backstrap loom.

Fuentes/Sources:

-Morales Damián, Manuel. (2010). El ayuno de tamales de agua. Iconografía de la lámina de Atamalcualiztli, Primeros Memoriales.

-Primeros Memoriales by Bernardino de Sahagún
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