SCHELLHAS] DRESS OF LOWER PART OF BODY 607 



The ornament met with on ahnost every figure in the manuscript is 

 not to be found, however, on the reliefs, nor on the pottery images of 

 .ihe collection. 



DRESS OF THE LOWER TART OF THE BODY 



For men. According to Landa's description, this part of the dress 

 consisted of a strip of a hand's breadth, which was wound several 

 times about the hijis, so that the ends hung down in front and behind. 

 Such an article of apparel does indeed occur in the manuscripts; it 

 was evidently the simplest undergarment, usually worn by the lower 

 classes of the people. In this simplest form it appears in the manu- 

 scripts as shown in a, figure 120 (Dresden codex, page 6, middle, com- 

 pare page 6, middle, etc.) and Z*, figure 120 (Troano codex, page 12*. 

 above). 



This is undoubtedly the cotton strip of a hand's breadth, which was 

 wrapped several times about the hips in the manner described. The 

 ends hanging down before and behind are cA'ery where to be seen, both 

 here and in the following similar representations. 



However, a more elaborate form of this article of clothing, which 

 occurs most frequently in the codices, differs from Landa's description 

 in so far that the strip is broader and to all appearance passes around 

 the body, not several times, but only once, as in r, same figure (Dres- 

 den codex, page Go, above) and d (Troano codex, page 17, above). 



This form, which is more like a belt made of leather or some similar 

 stiff material than like a strip of cotton, is the rule in the manuscripts 

 (and indeed also uniform in them all). The supposition that this 

 object forms a sort of belt is strengthened by the fact that another 

 article of clothing, an aprcm, is often added beneath, which is held up 

 by this belt, as, for instance, in e (Dresden codex, page 5, above) and 

 / (Codex Peresianus, page 1(5). 



But this apron also sometimes occurs in connection with the simple 

 cotton strip, as in Dresden codex, page (>, below, g. 



This belt with the apron occurs in all the manuscripts as though an 

 article of dress in general use. The stuff was evidently decorated 

 with bright-colored ornaments, some of which are recognizable in the 

 representations. We find a more elaborate form in the Dresden 

 codex, where above the belt a piece is added, which covers the lower 

 part of the body h (Dresden codex, page 14. beloAv). 



A departure from this generally customary mode of dress occurs in 

 the case of one figure only, and that is the striding priest in the Dres- 

 den manuscript, pages 25 to 28, above. Exactly corresponding to 

 the description Avliich Landa gives of the priests' costmne (Relacion, 

 chapter 26), long strij^s of cotton reaching to the ground are fastened 

 to the belt, which is of the ordinary shape, while a row of large 



