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Mexica clothing styles

When you ignore the fancy bits, there are only 5 ways to make clothes - and the Aztecs used them all! Hardly any ancient Mexican textiles have survived, so the best evidence for this comes from pictures in codices and from sculptures.

The first type we call draped garments, where you basically wrap a piece of material around the body, like a loincloth, skirt or cape.

The second type we call slip-on garments - poncho style, that slip over the head and hang from the shoulders.

The third type is called open-sewn - worn open at the front like a waistcoat.

The fourth type is called closed-sewn - they’re either pulled on over the head or secured all the way up the back or front by some type of fasteners.

The fifth type we call limb-encasing - it’s tailored specially for you and fits your body like a glove. A high-ranking Aztec warrior outfit makes a super example.