Clothing of Andean People, 1840s
Their garments are all of dark and sombre hues. Dark blue is a favourite colour, and appears to be generally adopted for mourning; for whenever the Indians follow a corpse…
From: 1838 C.E. To: 1847 C.E.
From Travels in Peru, During the Years 1838-1842 by Johann Jakob von Tschudi, 1847.
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Their garments are all of dark and sombre hues. Dark blue is a favourite colour, and appears to be generally adopted for mourning; for whenever the Indians follow a corpse to the grave, they always wear dark blue ponchos. The dress of the men usually consists of short trowsers, of coarse brown cloth, fastened round the waist by a girdle, and a woollen or cotton shirt. They seldom wear a jacket, the ponchos of Alpaca wool being always the outer garment. On their feet they wear sandals of untanned leather, which merely cover the toes, and are fastened round the ancle.
The dress of the women consists of a loose under-garment, without sleeves, and made of coarse blue woollen cloth. It is confined round the waist by a broad girdle, called the huccau. Over the arms are drawn black sleeves, reaching from the wrist to about the middle of the upper arm. A sort of robe or tunic, called the anacu, descends from the shoulders to the knees. It is fastened, not in front, but on one side. This garment is made of a thin sort of woollen stuff. It is always black, being worn in token of mourning for the Incas.
On the occasion of certain festivals, the Indian women wear a particoloured dress, called a faldillin. This garment frequently exhibits the most glaring contrasts of colour, one half being bright red, and the other yellow, in addition to which it is sometimes adorned with flowers of brilliant hues, and tasteless, gold embroidery.
A mantilla, consisting of a narrow piece of woollen cloth, is passed over the shoulders, and fastened under the chin, either with a long silver pin, or a cactus-thorn, completes the costume. In this mantilla, or in a poncho, mothers are accustomed to wrap their infants, and fastening them to their backs, they carry them about in this manner for a whole day, whilst engaged in their work.
Tschudi, Johann Jakob von. Travels in Peru, During the Years 1838-1842, translated by Thomasina Ross. David Bogue, 1847.
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