INCA CLOTHING: MAIN CHARACTERISTICS - HISTORY - 2025

The Inca clothing represented an important aspect in this society. Just by looking at how a person dressed, their status in society could be quickly perceived.

Although their clothing was initially typical of all the Andes and the inhabitants of the coast, later they specialized in it. There is a lot of information about it, since in imperial days clothing was imposed on conquered populations.

Inca clothing was mainly warm in the highlands and was made of llamas, alpacas, and vicuña wool.

Inca officials used to wear ornate robes to show their status. Inca men used to wear knee-length tunics, leather sandals, head pieces, hair bands, belts, and purses.

Women used to wear ankle-length skirts, outerwear, and herbal shoes; they were in charge of making all the clothing for men and women.

The Inca government used to control the clothing provided to their society; some of them had an outfit or two and wore them until they literally fell apart.

Clothes could not be changed without permission from the government, which is why many women spent a long time trying to achieve a unique and distinctive hair style.

The clothing of the Inca civilization

Inca officials wore stylized robes that indicated their status. The robes contained an amalgam of motifs used on the robes of private officers.

For example, it is believed that the black and white chess pattern with a pink triangle was used by the military. Some motifs refer to earlier cultures.

Three kinds of dress

The clothing was divided into three classes.

1- The a

It was used in household chores and was made of llama wool.

2- the

It was a finer cloth, it was divided into two classes. The first, woven by male qunpikamayuq (guardians of fine cloth) from alpaca wool, was collected as a tribute throughout the country and was used for barter, to adorn the rulers and to be given as gifts to political allies. and subjects to cement loyalty.

The other class of qunpi was ranked higher. It was woven in the a cllawasi by acila (virgin women of the temple of the Sun) of vicuña wool, and used only by royalty and for religious use. These had 300 threads or more per inch, something unprecedented until the industrial revolution.

3- the

In addition to robes, a person of importance wore a llawt'u, a series of headdress with laces tied around the head.

To establish its importance, the Inca Atahualpa commissioned a llawt'u woven from vampire bat hair. The leader of each ayllu, or extended family, had his own headdress.

Government controlled clothing

The Inca government controlled all clothing in their society. A person received two sets of clothing: a formal pair and a casual pair, and then proceeded to wear those same outfits until they were undone and could not be worn.

Since the government exercised such strict control over clothing, the Incas could not alter their clothing without government permission.

General trends

Warmer clothing was used more in the highlands than on the coasts. Textile fibers and wool in the highlands, and cotton on the coast, were practically monopolies, and were regularly distributed among the people.

In all places the clothing consisted of woven or sewn textiles and they were always used whole, without being cut or adjusted; they were held in place by large metal pins. The clothes of the common people were made of somewhat rough textiles.

Inca emperor

The Sapa Inca used his clothes only once; after being used, his clothes were burned.

Only the Sapa Inca could wear a headdress with special tassels of gold and feathers. His headdress was different: around his head he tied a turban with many colorful folds, with red tassels and feathers of a strange bird.

Her coat was covered in jewels and turquoise pieces. The Sapa Inca used jewels and gold in different parts of their body; he wore gold shoulder pads, bracelets, and earrings down to his shoulders. His shoes were made of leather and fur.

Inca nobles

His clothing was rich, but less luxurious than that of the emperor. Their tunics were made of vicuña wool, dyed and ornamented with precious stones and gold.

The nobles also wore a headdress; this headdress had tassels with feathers from a bird, bred just for this purpose.

All Inca nobles wore gold jewelry.

mens

They wore sleeveless tunics, usually made from a wide piece of cloth folded and sewn along the edges; the lower part was left open.

A large cape, worn over the shoulders with two edges tied at the front, completed the male outfit.

The cloths, tunics and cape were made of woven cloth with colorful ornamentation, varying in quality according to the social position of the man.

His sandals were made of woven fiber and each man used a small bag, in which he carried his coca leaves, charms and other small personal effects.

Hair styles varied by tribe, but generally Inca men wore their hair short in front and medium-long in the back. They usually used an ornate band to confine it.

Women

The women wore a one-piece dress, combining a skirt and blouse, reaching their ankles and tied at the waist by a wide, woven, ornamental band. At the top it reached the neck, and the outer edges were tied over the shoulders with pins.

Like all outfits, this dress was a large rectangular piece of woven fabric. The analogue of the male cape was a large cloak, worn over the shoulders and tied with a metal pin called an astope.

These copper, silver, or gold pins had heads of various types, sometimes in the shape of some animal or human figures. They often had sharp edges that could also be used as a knife.

The women wore sandals and hair bands similar to those of the men. They usually wore a folded piece of cloth over their head.

They did not cut their hair, they used it with a part in the middle and loose on the back; however, it was cut off as a sign of mourning.

References

1. Inca clothing. Recovered from machupicchu-inca.com
2. Inca clothing, a privileged based on social status. Recovered from about-peru-history.com
3. Clothing and jewelry in the inca empire. Recovered from incas.mrdonn.org
4. Inca society. Recovered from wikipedia.org