Costume and Gender

FIGURE 7. Left: Lady 10 Serpent, from page 40 of the Codex Nuttall. Right: Lord 10 Serpent, from page 41 of the Codex Nuttall.

FIGURE 7. Left: Lady 10 Serpent, from page 40 of the Codex Nuttall. Right: Lord 10 Serpent, from page 41 of the Codex Nuttall.

FIGURE 8. Female-specific costume elements. Left: Lady 10 Serpent, from page 40 of the Codex Nuttall. Right: Lord 10 Serpent, from page 41 of the Codex Nuttall.

FIGURE 8. Female-specific costume elements. Left: Lady 10 Serpent, from page 40 of the Codex Nuttall. Right: Lord 10 Serpent, from page 41 of the Codex Nuttall.

FIGURE 9. Male-specific costume elements. Left: Lady 10 Serpent, from page 40 of the Codex Nuttall. Right: Lord 10 Serpent, from page 41 of the Codex Nuttall.

FIGURE 9. Male-specific costume elements. Left: Lady 10 Serpent, from page 40 of the Codex Nuttall. Right: Lord 10 Serpent, from page 41 of the Codex Nuttall.

FIGURE 10. Gender-neutral costume elements. Left: Lady 10 Serpent, from page 40 of the Codex Nuttall. Right: Lord 10 Serpent, from page 41 of the Codex Nuttall.

FIGURE 10. Gender-neutral costume elements. Left: Lady 10 Serpent, from page 40 of the Codex Nuttall. Right: Lord 10 Serpent, from page 41 of the Codex Nuttall.

FIGURE 11. Female-specific articles of clothing: skirt (Codex Selden, page 6), cape (Codex Selden, page 5), quechquemitl (Codex Selden, page 12).

FIGURE 11. Female-specific articles of clothing: skirt (Codex Selden, page 6), cape (Codex Selden, page 5), quechquemitl (Codex Selden, page 12).

FIGURE 12. Male-specific articles of clothing: xicolli (Codex Nuttall, page 30), hip cloth (Codex Nuttall, page 34), loincloth (Codex Nuttall, page 35).

FIGURE 12. Male-specific articles of clothing: xicolli (Codex Nuttall, page 30), hip cloth (Codex Nuttall, page 34), loincloth (Codex Nuttall, page 35).

FIGURE 13. Female-specific hairstyles: red bangs (Codex Nuttall, page 28), cloth wrapped hair (Codex Nuttall, page 26), knotted hair (Codex Nuttall, page 30).

FIGURE 13. Female-specific hairstyles: red bangs (Codex Nuttall, page 28), cloth wrapped hair (Codex Nuttall, page 26), knotted hair (Codex Nuttall, page 30).

FIGURE 14. Male-specific hairstyles: feathery hair (Codex Selden, page 3), two plume bangs (Codex Selden, page 11), top knot (Codex Selden, page 11).

FIGURE 14. Male-specific hairstyles: feathery hair (Codex Selden, page 3), two plume bangs (Codex Selden, page 11), top knot (Codex Selden, page 11).

FIGURE 15. Female-specific styles of jewelry: step-fret nose ornament (Codex Nuttall, page 30).

FIGURE 15. Female-specific styles of jewelry: step-fret nose ornament (Codex Nuttall, page 30).

FIGURE 16. Male-specific styles of jewelry, from left to right: bar nose ornament (Codex Nuttall, page 30), Toltec nose ornament (Codex Nuttall, page 34), cylindrical ear bar (Codex Nuttall, page 35).

FIGURE 16. Male-specific styles of jewelry, from left to right: bar nose ornament (Codex Nuttall, page 30), Toltec nose ornament (Codex Nuttall, page 34), cylindrical ear bar (Codex Nuttall, page 35).

We will begin with the role of costuming in differentiating men from women. Figure 7 depicts two individuals named 10 Serpent (see the Keeping Time tutorial for information on Ã’udzavui naming). Although their calendric names are not gender specific (no calendric names are), the costume, skin color, and body position of these individuals inform the reader which is male and which is female.

On the left, Lady 10 Serpent’s gender-female attributes are her red bangs combed into a half circle, her rounded cape, her long skirt with its colored border, her gold skin, and her kneeling-with-legs-tucked-under body position (Figure 8).

On the right, Lord 10 Serpent’s gender-male attributes are his bangs, combed into a “two-plume” style, his white loincloth, his red-brown skin, and his crouched-kneeling body position (Figure 9).

Lord and Lady 10 Serpent also wear gender-neutral costume elements: both wear nearly identical feathered headdresses, earspools, necklaces, bracelets, and sandals (Figure 10).

Looking at hairstyle and at the presence or absence of a loincloth are probably the easiest ways to tell men from women, but these are only a small subset of the extensive wardrobe of gender-specific costume and ornament depicted in the screenfolds.

  • Female-specific articles of clothing include the skirt (dziyo), cape (dzoo), and quechquemitl (Figure 11).
  • Male-specific articles of clothing include the xicolli, the hip cloth, and the loincloth (satu)(Figure 12).
  • Female-specific hairstyles include red half-circle bangs, cloth-wrapped hair, and knotted hair (Figure 13).
  • Male-specific hairstyles include the feather top style, two-plume bangs, and topknot (Figure 14).
  • Female-specific styles of jewelry include the step-fret nose ornament (Figure 15).
  • Male-specific styles of jewelry include the bar nose ornament, the Toltec-style (or tecuhtli) nose ornament, and the cylindrical ear bar (Figure 16).

For further information on most of these items, consult the topical bibliography at the end of this tutorial.

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