Pre-Hispanic Clothing
Irmgard Weitlaner Johnson

Shortly alter the birth of a baby girl, she was brought spinning and weaving utensils to be symbolically instructed on their use. When a woman felt she might be nearing death, her everyday work implements were often thrown into the fire so they would await her in the afterlife.
The Aztecs had a special patron goddess for weavers. It was said Xochiquetzal was the first to spin thread and weave cloth. In the Códice Matritense, Xochiquetzal is represented seated in front of a loom, lavishly dressed and worshipped by women who were skilled with the needle. The scene refers to the festival of Atamalqualiztli, which was held every eight years to celebrate the renewal of nature. Tlazolteotl –Toci, who was mainly the goddess of henequen and cotton, was also intimately linked with spinning and weaving, as she appeared with skeins of cotton and with spindles in her headdress. The Mayas believed the consort of the Sun God was the patroness of spinning– Ixchel, the Moon Goddess was also referred to as “She of the Thirteen Skeins of Colored Cloth.” Meanwhile, her daughter, Ixchebelyax, was the patroness of embroidery.
Thus in ancient Mexico, spinning and weaving formed an integral part of family life among the indigenous people. It was the woman’s responsibility to instruct her daughters in the domestic arts. Each home recreated its own weavings and aspects of the craft were known among all social classes. Young noble women were proud to know how to weave and embroider all sorts of richly decorated cloth; for this purpose they were trained in special schools attached to the temples. Slaves were often employed to make cloth exacted by the government in tribute; if they demonstrated particular skill in this task, they were able to escape becoming victims of sacrifice.
The government recognized the weaver’s art. The Music Council, which supervised all of the arts, encouraged artisan guilds to produce several types of fine weavings. Furthermore, cotton cloth is one of the most frequently represented items in tribute lists.
Cloth was used not only to make clothing, but also to cover walls and canopies, to use as carpets and blankets, tablecloths, towels, napkins, among other purposes. Mantles also served as a form of currency.
As illustrated in codices, indigenous garb generally had simple lines, although the textiles themselves had elaborate designs; they usually bore special decorations in the form of bands, added elements, feathers, shells, or some other sort of adornment. Generally speaking, garments were fashioned without cutting the cloth; a certain number of rectangular panels were stitched together to create the desired form, so the costumes had greater variety in color, texture, and ornamentation than their basic components.
The use of cotton apparel seems to have been a prerogative of the privileged classes. Commoners dressed in “nequén” (henequen) and coarse, cotton cloth. Men usually wore loincloths (maxtlatl) and a cloak tied at the shoulder (tilmatli). Women wore a wrap-around skirt (cueitl), belt (nelpiloni), and huipil or loose shift (uipilli). High ranking women and goddesses were often represented using the quechquemitl, a triangular-shaped garment. Accessories for ceremonial occasions were adapted to customs.