Among the lower class the men seem to have worn no garment except the
_maxtli_, consisting of a loin-cloth wound several times around the
waist, the ends hanging down in front and behind, like small aprons.
The women wore two garments, similar to those of the modern Maya, the
_huipil_, or loose, sleeveless upper garment reaching to the hips (at
the present this is worn longer, reaching well below the knees) and
a short, loose skirt, both of cotton, and both embroidered in colors
at the borders.[10] The warriors wore in addition to the _maxtli_ a
breastplate of thick quilted cotton, saturated with salt, arrow and
spear proof, and ornamented with bows, studs, and tassels. To its
upper border was attached a hollow bar, through which passed a cord,
continued round the back of the neck, holding the breastplate in place.
Both warriors and priests wore very elaborate headdresses. Those of the
former were decorated with plumes of feathers and many of them held in
front the head of some animal carved in wood,[11] as the jaguar, eagle,
peccary, snake, or alligator. Some of the headdresses of the priests
were shaped like a bishop's miter, while others resembled the Egyptian
headdress. All classes wore sandals of leather or platted henequen
fiber. The ornaments worn consisted of large circular ear plugs of
shell, greenstone, or pottery, many with a tassel dependent from the
center; studlike labrets at each side of the mouth; and occasional
triangular ornaments attached on each ala of the nose. Round the neck
were worn strings of beads, some in the form of human or animal heads,
others with a gorget of greenstone or shell in the form of a human
mask dependent from them. Wristlets and anklets of large oval beads,
fastened with ornamental loops, were common, and copper finger rings
have been found on two occasions, though it is possible that these
may not have been introduced till after the conquest. Among the upper
classes the ornaments were made from jade, greenstone, iron pyrites,
obsidian, mother-of-pearl, and copper; among the lower, from pottery,
shell, and stone.
WEAPONS
The offensive weapons of the natives here dealt with consisted of flint
and obsidian tipped arrows,[12] javelins, and spears, flint and stone
axes, with slingstones, and stone-headed clubs, made for the most part
of hard limestone. Their defensive weapons were small circular shields
of leather-covered wickerwork and thick cotton breastplates.
HOUSES
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account