por Learn how the society of the Mexica Empire dressed.
In ancient times, clothing was essential to differentiate one people from another. The clothing of the aztecs It is not the exception and, in addition, their clothing presented unique characteristics that also served to distinguish one social class from another.
Another distinction was made from gender, since the garments of men and women were not the same. Apart from clothing, they also had decorative elements and some types of footwear.
The Aztec or Mexica Empire was very influential in Mesoamerica, dominating different areas. Its heyday of greatest splendor occurred in the post-classical period, until it was finally defeated by the Spanish during the Conquest.
Aztec men’s clothing
Aztec men used a kind of loincloth, the maxtlatl, and a triangular-shaped cape-like garment, which was tied, called a tilma, was placed on the upper part of the body. The usual thing is that they wore their hair short or they could also wear it shaved, but the latter was not so common, more than in the case of warriors.
These garments were designed for the weather, allowing them to do their daily activities comfortably. If they were men of the upper classes, fringes and embroidery were added to the loincloths. In the case of tilmas, the most elaborate and colorful designs were intended for the upper classes, such as nobles and religious leaders.
When they wore shoes, they wore sandals called cactli.
women’s clothing
The women, for their part, wore a skirt known as cueitl, which was accompanied by a long blouse called a huipil. It is believed that the common hairstyle for them was braids, as they wore their hair very long and divided it into portions to accommodate it in two or four braids.
Depending on the age and social class to which the woman belonged, the hairstyle changed. On certain occasions, wearing the hair loose implied that the woman was looking for a partner, while the hair collected was synonymous with maturity and could also indicate that they belonged to the nobility.
children’s clothing
Aztec boys and girls who were under 3 years old did not wear any type of garment. Once they exceeded this age, basic white garments were placed on them. Until the girls grew up they began to wear skirts, and the boys as they developed began to wear the characteristic capes of men.
The absence of clothing in the smallest was due to the hot climate that prevailed in the Gulf of Mexico, so the clothes were a hindrance for infants.
priests clothing
The Aztec priests were not considered as simple messengers of the gods, but rather they were believed to personify the deities, so the clothing was in accordance with this idea and garments that were worthy of a divine figure were used.
In the case of the priests who participated in human sacrifices, they did not rinse the blood with which they stained their bodies or hair, since it was considered an important part of their personification.
Complete outfits were made up of various lavish objects and ornaments, sometimes made from the skin of enemies that had been flayed; they also painted their bodies, used jewelry and headdresses. Garments were made from paper, feathers, stones, and animal skins.
military clothing
Among the military there were also different outfits according to their rank, the common soldiers wore an iyak, a sleeveless piece that covered both the torso and the abdomen. Those who were elite warriors could wear more elaborate clothing, which consisted of a tlahuiztli, which covered their torso, back, as well as their upper and lower extremities.
The armor of the military also worked to hang decorations related to their rank and that consisted of banners, mosaics with feathers or animal skins.
The most luxurious military clothes were earned by making merits in the war and special suits were even designed for some privileged people that imitated the shapes of some animals to which qualities related to strength were attributed, such as the jaguar.
tlatoani clothing
The tlatoani were the Aztec rulers and they dressed very ornately and lavishly. They used to wear a kind of headband called xiuhuiztli, to which precious stones were added.
They also used the yacaxihuil, a decorated nose ring or earring; and capes with very colorful ornaments, known as xiuhtlalpiltilmatl, were placed.
Among the ornaments they used were gold bracelets and precious stone bracelets, which were a symbol of their power and noble origin.