Clothing – The Mayan Civilization
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A large part of the population was engaged in agricultural work, so they wore clothing suitable for the necessary conditions, and attire also depended on social status. Most people dressed simply: women wore a sovon or hipil (a traditional dress) or a skirt and a shawl, while men wore a type of loincloth called a patí.
However, the nobility wore rich and elaborate garments embroidered with feathers and gems, adorned with mixa sandals, and displayed large feather headdresses, as well as necklaces, pectorals, and heavy belts with mother-of-pearl and engraved stone inlays.
Other common garments among the nobles included skirts, short or long capes, jackets (often made of jaguar fur or cotton), shell ornaments, seashells, and geometric designs. In addition to headdresses, some nobles and priests wore large ear ornaments, nose ornaments, bracelets, and jade, quartz, and gold rings. They also pierced their chins under the lower lip to wear a large labret.
Accessories included hats, turbans, plumes, headbands, and conical hats. Jade was commonly used until around 900 BCE (although it did not disappear), and later gold jewelry became prominent. Based on the murals of Bonampak, we can imagine the wealth and grandeur exuded by these garments during ceremonies and battles, where warriors added their weapons, shields, and elaborately adorned breastplates or protective vests to their attire.
Various dyes were used to color their clothing. The most important ones were: Mineral-based dyes such as atapulgite clay. Plant-based dyes such as añil (Indigofera suffruticosa and Indigofera guatemalensis), which were believed to have produced the characteristic Maya blue color. Animal-based dyes included red obtained from cochineal insects (parasites that attack the nopal cactus, with several species belonging to the Opuntia and Nopalea genera), and violet derived from a snail called Plicopurpura pansa. These dyes were obtained through cultivation or trade.
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