Tlie builders of the Aztec ruiu u»ed fiber of cotton and yucca for cloth making. The cotton gar- 

 ments intended to be worn during ritualistic ceremonies, and upon dress occasions, were as soft and 

 pliable as heavy muslin. Ordinary apparel, sacks, and burden straps were woven from the coarser fiber 

 of the yucca, or occasionally with warp of yucca and woof of cotton. The cotton plant was cultivated 

 in the fields along the river, while the yucca grew^and still flourishes — on the rocky slopes and sandy 

 wastes of the neighboring mesas 



It is clear to what uses matting made of plaited rushes, baskets, and ring-shaped pot rests might 

 be put, but there are some forms, like the cylindrical bag appearing at the right side of the picture, whose 

 function baffles the imagination. A pillow, a cushion, a pad for the back when carrying burdens, are 

 among the possibilities, but all are equally problematical and unsatisfactory 



177 



