Autor: Taylor Dicey
Fecha de publicación: 1983
Descripción: This study examines the development of regional differences in Classic Maya costume on monuments erected in eastern Mesoamerica. It expands the initial research of Mary Butler (1931:177), who believed that variations in dress among Maya cities stemmed more from local preferences than chronological change. Tatiana Proskouriakoff (1950: 2-3) reached a similar conclusion in her analysis of Classic sculpture, which included a selection of dress motifs. She found few elements indicative of temporal change, since most occur early in the monumental sequence.
The history of Classic Maya costume is viewed here as the migration of dress motifs from region to region, supplemented by revivals of archaic forms. Five regions are recognized: the central Peten lowlands; the northern and western lowlands; the southeast frontier; and the Pacific highlands and coastal slopes. During the Early Classic Period (A.D. 250-474), monuments were erected only in the Peten. The development of circum-Peten regions, and of regional differences in dress, corresponds to the Middle Classic Period (A.D. 474-671). Regional types decline in the Late Classic (A.D. 671-868), when centers adopted western dress motifs. Further uniformity in dress is apparent in the use of epiclassic and non-Classic traits on the very latest sculptures of the Classic era.
Related topics are covered in the introductory chapter: garment and headdress types; probable materials and techniques of construction; the motives and purposes to dress; and the distinction between public and private forms of costume. Classic monuments portray rulers in elaborate dress, while small objects, especially vases with intimate scenes of upper class life, depict simpler attire. The literature on European dress explains why elaborate costumes are appropriate in public and casual dress in private. The regalia on Classic Maya sculpture should be regarded as the expression or manifestation of an ideology, namely the institution of Maya rulership and all that it implied in the Classic Period.
Para ver la publicación: Classic Maya costume: Regional types of dress
