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Description
I know you guys were expecting Postclassic Maya outfits. But, I decided to do six Aztec outfits for the moment. I will be switching between Yucatan and Aztec. Note: these six outfits are only a fraction of the whole Aztec fashion set (which I will get into later). Anyway, this outfit represent what a Aztec woman commoner would wear. Before I go on, I must mention that the term Aztec here refers to a group of ethnic people who settled in the valley of Central Mexico or as they called it, Anahuac during the Late Postclassic period. These ethnic groups spoke Nahuatl and included the Mexica, Acolhuan, and Tepanec people. These three people had their capitals in Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan, forming the Triple Alliance, also known as the Aztec Empire. But the term I am using also includes other Nahuatl speaking people of Central Mexico who shared their culture. Technically though, the term 'Aztec' can also include other non-Nahuatl speaking people who came from Aztlan like the Matlazinca for example. So while I won't include them in the Aztec fashion, I will give them their own set later.

This woman is a commoner. Commoners made up the vast majority of the Aztec population and generally wore maguey, yucca or palm fiber clothes. Some wore cotton clothes with perhaps one color. Their ornaments included ear and nose ornaments ("Nocochtli") of bone, wood, stone or shell. Their clothing consisted of the basic garment, the skirt ("Cueitl"). It was either wrapped around and fastened with a belt, as the Maya skirts or they were sewn. Their basic upper body garment was the "Huipilli" which was like a sleeveless blouse that fell somewhere between the hips and above the knees. The Huipilli was sometimes adorned with rabbit fur thread which was very fine and silky. The little rectangle that appears wear the collars meet is actually meant to hold the huipilli together. Also note, there is one on the back as well (unseen here). Noble woman tended to decorate this little rectangle. Commoner women did not use footwear.

This outfit is a married woman or mother based on her hairstyle. They typically split their hair in two and took the hair in the back and wrapped it at the front. This made two 'horns'. This is a very similar description to the hairstyle sported by Maya women. Although it appears the Maya were more open to organizing their hair into more complex styles. Unlike the Maya or their neighbors around them, the Aztecs did not really use makeup, face or body paint that much. Only prostitutes and 'shallow' women of all social classes wore makeup. The Aztecs favored the natural beauty look above all else. Rituals were the only exceptions it seems. Curiously however, noble women who were regarded as beautiful and respectable did use makeup and ointments to color themselves, so there seems to be something of a double standard here. Among the Maya makeup was also looked down upon since only 'vain' women used it. Tattoos were also looked down upon by the Aztecs and they probably were uncommon. Some women colored their hair with particular soaps that gave it an indigo shine, others made their hair darker while another gave the hair a yellow tint. Recall that the Aztecs like many other Mesoamericans were very clean not just in comparison to Europeans at the time, but by our contemporary standards as well.

Keep in mind - clothing was very restricted among the Aztec population. These restrictions revolved around a person's social class and profession. In this way, you could look at any member of the society and immediately recognize where they stood socially and what their profession was. Punishment for breaking these clothing laws were in some cases severe and punishable by death. These laws varied over time depending on the ruler. Also remember that there were always exceptions and loopholes in these laws.

And remember, I'll be switching back and forth between the Yucatan outfits and Aztec outfits. So my next outfit will be the Yucatan Male Sacrifice. Stay tuned.

Description
I know you guys were expecting Postclassic Maya outfits. But, I decided to do six Aztec outfits for the moment. I will be switching between Yucatan and Aztec. Note: these six outfits are only a fraction of the whole Aztec fashion set (which I will get into later). Anyway, this outfit represent what a Aztec woman commoner would wear. Before I go on, I must mention that the term Aztec here refers to a group of ethnic people who settled in the valley of Central Mexico or as they called it, Anahuac during the Late Postclassic period. These ethnic groups spoke Nahuatl and included the Mexica, Acolhuan, and Tepanec people. These three people had their capitals in Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan, forming the Triple Alliance, also known as the Aztec Empire. But the term I am using also includes other Nahuatl speaking people of Central Mexico who shared their culture. Technically though, the term 'Aztec' can also include other non-Nahuatl speaking people who came from Aztlan like the Matlazinca for example. So while I won't include them in the Aztec fashion, I will give them their own set later.

This woman is a commoner. Commoners made up the vast majority of the Aztec population and generally wore maguey, yucca or palm fiber clothes. Some wore cotton clothes with perhaps one color. Their ornaments included ear and nose ornaments ("Nocochtli") of bone, wood, stone or shell. Their clothing consisted of the basic garment, the skirt ("Cueitl"). It was either wrapped around and fastened with a belt, as the Maya skirts or they were sewn. Their basic upper body garment was the "Huipilli" which was like a sleeveless blouse that fell somewhere between the hips and above the knees. The Huipilli was sometimes adorned with rabbit fur thread which was very fine and silky. The little rectangle that appears wear the collars meet is actually meant to hold the huipilli together. Also note, there is one on the back as well (unseen here). Noble woman tended to decorate this little rectangle. Commoner women did not use footwear.

This outfit is a married woman or mother based on her hairstyle. They typically split their hair in two and took the hair in the back and wrapped it at the front. This made two 'horns'. This is a very similar description to the hairstyle sported by Maya women. Although it appears the Maya were more open to organizing their hair into more complex styles. Unlike the Maya or their neighbors around them, the Aztecs did not really use makeup, face or body paint that much. Only prostitutes and 'shallow' women of all social classes wore makeup. The Aztecs favored the natural beauty look above all else. Rituals were the only exceptions it seems. Curiously however, noble women who were regarded as beautiful and respectable did use makeup and ointments to color themselves, so there seems to be something of a double standard here. Among the Maya makeup was also looked down upon since only 'vain' women used it. Tattoos were also looked down upon by the Aztecs and they probably were uncommon. Some women colored their hair with particular soaps that gave it an indigo shine, others made their hair darker while another gave the hair a yellow tint. Recall that the Aztecs like many other Mesoamericans were very clean not just in comparison to Europeans at the time, but by our contemporary standards as well.

Keep in mind - clothing was very restricted among the Aztec population. These restrictions revolved around a person's social class and profession. In this way, you could look at any member of the society and immediately recognize where they stood socially and what their profession was. Punishment for breaking these clothing laws were in some cases severe and punishable by death. These laws varied over time depending on the ruler. Also remember that there were always exceptions and loopholes in these laws.

And remember, I'll be switching back and forth between the Yucatan outfits and Aztec outfits. So my next outfit will be the Yucatan Male Sacrifice. Stay tuned.