EMPIRES CHILDREN: THE PEOP 



3 shirts at $5.50 $ 16.50 



2 cotton trousers at 10.00 20.00 



2 calzones at 5.00 10.00 



1 silk shirt 16.00 



3 pairs underpants at 2.50 7.50 



3 undershirts at 1.50 4.50 



1 sash 5.00 



1 hat 7.50 



3 pairs socks at 0.75 2.25 



1 bandana handkerchief 1.00 



1 pair huaraches 12.00 



1 pair shoes (some inen) 28.00 



1 gabdn serape 30.00 



Total value of new wardrobe .... $160.25 



LE OF TZINTZUNTZAN FOSTER 



43 



Figure 5. — Tranchete knife. The blade folds into the 

 bone handle and may be suspended from a but- 

 ton by means of the chain. 



Clothing for boys of all ages is about the 

 same as that for their fathers, except that tliere 

 is a tendency to go barefoot or wear huaraches 

 rather than shoes, and to prefer the less expen- 

 sive calzones to store trousers or overalls. For 

 the first communion a boy needs white pants, 

 shirt, and shoes, with a total value of about 

 $10. Infants of both sexes are clothed in an 

 undershirt and simple cotton dress. Diapers 

 normally are not used. 



WOMEN'S CLOTHING 



In the Lake Patzcuaro area one finds a series 

 of costume types which range from the ancient 

 hand-loomed black wool skirt to modern fac- 

 tory-made cotton dresses. This transition can 

 be traced both by the cut of the garment and 

 the materials used, and is best reflected in skirt 

 forms. Except for cotton dresses, the subsidiary 

 garments are basically the same for all combi- 

 nations. The costume which is particularly char- 

 acteristic of the Tarascan and bordering areas 

 consists of a petticoat, blouse, woolen skirt, 

 apron, woolen belt or belts and a rebozo (shawl). 



This garb, though not pre-Conquest, appears to 

 be the oldest type in Michoacan and hence most 

 properly can be called '"indigenous." Its com- 

 ponent parts, each with variations, will be de- 

 scribed in turn. 



The petticoat is a tubular skirt of unbleached 

 muslin or cotton with a circumference several 

 times the girth of the wearer. When worn it is 

 folded in knife pleats across the back so that 

 about 15 cm. rise above the waist and fall back 

 in a ruffle to display machine cross-stitched 

 designs in red, pink, and black thread. It is 

 held in place by a woolen belt. Petticoat bot- 

 toms, which reach nearly to the ankles, are 

 decorated with black wool embroidery on strips 

 of unbleached muslin which are made in Na- 

 huatzen and sold over the entire area. Some 

 women sew the pleats of their petticoats to a 

 band which is tied around the waist. This 

 eliminates the need for a belt and facilitates 

 dressing. 



The oldest type of skirt, the telar de monojo, 

 is made of black hand-loomed wool woven in 

 Nahuatzen and Paracho in strips about 30 cm. 

 wide. These strips are cut in lengths of about 

 a meter and sewn together longitudinally to 

 form a solid piece 10 to 12 m. long. The wear- 

 er gathers the cloth in pleats across her stomach, 

 leaving an opening of several centimeters be- 

 tween the vertical edges. Then, one or more belts 

 are wound in place and the skirt is turned half 

 around so that the pleats fall in the rear. Sev- 

 eral centimeters of pleated skirt extend above 

 the waist line and fall back in ruffles covering 

 most of the petticoat except for the embroider- 

 ed top. At the skirt bottom enough petticoat is 

 left exposed to reveal the embroidery. Since 

 the skirt edges have not been brought together, 

 a vertical strip of petticoat is visible from waist 

 to ankles. 



The classic Tarascan skirt of the sierra is 

 33 m. long. It is acquired by a girl at the time 

 of her marriage and used as a source of cloth 

 for the tiny skirts of baby girls. With each new 

 addition to the household, the mother cuts a lit- 

 tle off her skirt to clothe the newcomer. For a 

 long time I was puzzled as to how it was pos- 

 sible to wrap a strip of cloth 33 m. long around 

 one's waist and still walk, let alone do all of 

 the chores of a household. The answer became 

 apparent when it was learned that the measure 



