TOLTEC CLOTHING: CHARACTERISTICS AND GARMENTS - HISTORY - 2025

The clothing of the Toltecs is closely related to their social division. Thanks to the pictorial samples that are preserved, we can get an idea of ​​how this ancient civilization used to dress.

The Toltecs are a Mesoamerican culture that settled in the north of the Mexican highlands between the 10th and 12th centuries AD. Their name in Nahuatl referred to a person who was an expert in arts and crafts.

For this reason, they have bequeathed us great monuments and many pictorial pieces, such as statues, reliefs, murals and ceramics that represented their gods and important people, where we can observe their customs and skills.

The most important Toltec city is Tula, which had approximately 30 thousand inhabitants. In this city buildings and temples dedicated to Quetzalcóalt, a primordial deity that means feathered serpent, were erected.

At the top of a pyramid are 4 anthropomorphic sculptures that served as pillars for a ceiling. They portray intricately dressed warriors, who in turn represent the god.

Toltec society was strongly hierarchical and two classes were distinguished. On the one hand, the group made up of the military, rulers, nobles, and priests who were privileged and maintained control and power. On the other hand, a servile class made up of artisans, agricultural workers and trade professionals.

All these characteristics had an important impact on the way the Toltecs dress and their relationship with the development of their culture.

Characteristics of the clothing of the Toltec culture

The social division of this culture generated a series of codes that would highlight the hierarchical relationships. A powerful person possessed a much more elaborate and rich outfit than ordinary people. These outfits had many garments and demanded particular care and etiquette.

In view of the fact that in the murals, reliefs, sculptures and codices only the ruling class and the gods were represented, there is very little information about the popular classes. We can only find references in the chronicles of the Indies once the Spaniards arrived.

We can infer from this information that the common Toltecs only wore a simple loincloth and a tangle, they were barefoot and bare-chested. In the case of women, a huipil or rustic fabric blouse was added to cover their breasts.

For their part, the powerful class had at their disposal a series of garments that reaffirmed their status within society and had not only an aesthetic function, but also communicated their privileges.

The women who managed to be consorts of the powerful or had some religious responsibility, used the quechquémitl, which consists of two rectangles of cloth that when joined and left an opening, has a triangular shape. This garment was also related to fertility.

Men, for their part, had the option of wearing numerous garments:

Belt

In most of the pictorial representations where you can see the male Toltec clothing, you can see a belt that can be a tied strip of cloth or just a ribbon. Sometimes they serve to hold a black stone mirror or a shield on the back.

Máxtlatl

The máxtlatl was a canvas that was tied at the front, like a loincloth, to cover the genitals and expose the legs.

Sometimes it was also tied at the rear. This was the basic male garment of all Mesoamerican cultures.

Tangle

The entanglement consisted of a canvas that was tied next to the maxtlatl to cover the buttocks. Sometimes it was also used as a kind of apron. In the Toltec case, this apron could be much larger and more decorative.

Tilmatli

The tilmatli was a kind of cape that was tied around the neck and was usually made with several superimposed lines of feathers.

This was the most exclusive of the garments and only the powerful could wear them. There were strict rules that punished their use when they were not deserved.

Cueitl

This garment is a male skirt that was reserved for the gods, priests and hierarchs. They could be decorated with semi-precious stones and were used in the ball game or in war.

Ichcahuipilli

It consisted of a thick padded cloth armor, animal skins or vegetable bark. All warriors could use them and they were only differentiated by the materials in which they were made.

In the temple of burning of Tula a cuirass was found, "the cuirass of Tula" that was made with 1,413 earrings of shells and snails placed with harmony and precision.

This cuirass could only be used by the Toltec elites, as it is even represented in some mythical characters and perhaps had a ritual use.

Headdresses

A fundamental garment to mark private classes was the headdress. They were decorated with feathers and could sometimes be combined with a helmet.

These ornaments were used by elite warriors to differentiate themselves in battle

Xicolli

The xicolli was a decorated sleeveless shirt. Its use sums up well the general state of Toltec culture. At first it was used as part of the ritual in religious ceremonies.

However, it later became part of the military clothing. This change also took place in the form of government of the Toltecs.

In its beginnings its rulers were priests and religion played a very important role in how their society developed.

Some time later, that religious organization went on to more bellicose behaviors that turned the leaders into warriors and people with skills for battle.

Ornaments and category

Clothing was an element that marked the social stratification of Mesoamerican societies. In the Toltec case, the sophistication of one piece compared to another determined the category of those who wore it.

The constant exchange and importation of exotic materials allowed those of greater possibilities to create new clothing and designs.

The accessories were quite influential in the showy and wonderfulness of some clothing items. They were not only ornamented with precious stones and minerals, but also, depending on the function, pieces of raw material such as food and plants were added to the costumes.

The use of feathers as ornamental pieces that is attributed to the Toltecs, was popularized at a general level with the rise of the Aztec empire.

The making and arrangement of the scalps to match the rest of the costumes was also an important aspect within the ceremonial sphere in the Toltec civilization.

The Atlanteans of Tula

In one of the temples of Quetzalcóatl, you can see these four figures that have been called Atlanteans. They are anthropomorphic sculptures in which you can see all the details of the typical Toltec clothing: helmet or headdress, earmuffs, pectorals, bracelets, discs on the back, maxtlatl, thighs, knee pads and sandals.

Another interesting detail is that the weapons of the time and the way of carrying it can be seen in the sculptures.

The four Atlanteans hold with their right hands the atlatl, a kind of spear thrower that served to cover a greater distance and in the left they carry four long darts, a curved weapon and a container. On their forearm they carry a knife held by a bracelet.

The Atlanteans of Tula are a clear example of how the religion, the social condition and the way of dressing of the Toltecs were intimately related.

References

1. Anawalt, Patricia (1985). "The Ethnic History of the Toltecs as Reflected in their Clothing." Indiana, 10, 129-145.
2. Cartwright, Mark (2013). "Toltec Civilization". Retrieved from June 2, 2017 on ancient.eu.
3. Ehecatl Quetzalcoatl (2013). "Pre-Hispanic male clothing". Retrieved on June 2, 2017 at 4nahui.blogspot.mx.
4. Ehecatl Quetzalcoatl (2013). "Ancient and Current Female Clothing". Retrieved on June 2, 2017 at 4nahui.blogspot.mx.
5. Gamboa Cabezas, Luis Manuel (2010). "The Atlanteans of Tula." Retrieved June 2, 2017 at inah.gob.mx.
6. Gamboa Cabezas, Luis Manuel (2016). “The Burned Palace, Tula. Six decades of research ”. Retrieved on June 02, 2017 enarqueologiamexicana.mx.
7. Roura Olvera, Rafael (2017), “Atlantes de Tula. Toltec warriors ”. Retrieved on June 2, 2017 in revistabuenviaje.com.