What was the clothing of the INCAS like?

Clothing is one of the most interesting factors of any culture. It helps us understand many of the customs and systems of the different civilizations, either by be linked to its economy or to show us which elements were more valuable for a certain culture. For all these reasons, in this lesson by a Teacher we are going to talk about the clothing of one of the most important civilizations of the American continent, commenting on What was the clothing of the Incas like?.

Before talking about the clothing of the Incas, we are going to know what this civilization was like. The Inca or Inca Empire It was one of the great American civilizations, being the most important in the entire southern part of the continent, and only being comparable to the powerful cultures born in the cultural region of Mesoamerica. Therefore, the Incas were one of the largest empires in the entire American continent before the arrival of the European settlers.

The influence of the Incas today is enormous, since before the Europeans they came to occupy a large area throughout the South American region, occupying places such as the Amazon or Lake Titicaca. The area of ​​greatest influence of the Incas was the westernmost part of the continent, being the one related to

Peru and the Andes currently. Specifically, in the Peruvian country is where the greatest influence the Incas have today.

The Incas are a very ancient people, but we can trace their origin until the thirteenth century, when they began to have a true expansion in influence in the South American territory and where the characteristics that allow us to know their clothing are born. Although with the arrival of the Europeans the Incas lost their power, His clothing is still worn today. demonstrating its influence in Peru.

Before talking about the different variations that exist in the Inca dress, we must talk about the general characteristics of this, being important to know which elements are similar to ours and which They are different.

For this, the main features of the clothing of the Incas are the following:

• The dress was usually designed for cold climates, since most of the Incas inhabited high mountain areas.
• They used many different elements to make the clothing, being an example of this the fur from llamas, vicuñas and alpacas.
• The ornaments they were a common item in Inca clothing, and the more ornate the clothing, the more important the person wearing it was.
• The Inca population had two pairs of formal wear and two pairs of casual wear
• The government totally controlled the clothing of the population, being the ones who gave the clothing and who had to give permission so that people could change their clothes.
• The women were in charge of making the clothes, being good seamstresses and with a lot of knowledge about the manufacture of clothing.
• The Incas used cotton and light clothing for the coastal area, while warmer clothing made with textiles was used for the higher areas.

To continue with this lesson on the clothing of the Incas we must talk about the different clothing of this civilization, saying the main characteristic elements of each of the different groups of these cultures. We must understand that the dress of the nobles was not the same as that of the lower classes and, therefore, it is interesting to see how it varied depending on the circumstances.

The emperor

The clothing of the emperor of the Incas was worn only once, so after its only use, the clothes were burned and replaced by another. The emperor of the Incas wore a hat adorned with feathers and golden elements, a coat covered with jewels and pieces of turquoise, gold decorations such as ear rings or bracelets, and his shoes were of the best quality leather.

Inca officers

The Inca officials had the tradition of decorate their robes with different elements, since it was considered that it was a way of showing through their clothes that they had a higher position than the rest of the Inca population. It is thought that the different types of decoration depend on the position held by the officer.

Inca nobles

It could be said that the clothes of the nobles were resembling that of an emperor, but at lower ranges. Their tunics were made of the highest quality textiles, and were decorated with numerous precious stones of different types. The hat used was made of pens, which were taken from a bird used just for that.

Inca men

Inca men, in general, used sleeveless robes that opened at the bottom, while on their back they carried a great cape. The colors of the clothes depended on the importance of the man within the social hierarchy, being the most strident colors of the most important people. They used sandals and a small bag to carry important things.

inca women

Inca women wore a unique dress in which blouse and skirt were joined. The decoration on her clothing was very similar to that of the man, as were the elements of jewelry and so on.