258 



HISTORY OF MEXICO". 



The Mexicans were lefs Angular in their drefs than 

 in their food. Their ufual habit was quite fimple, con- 

 filling folely of the maxtlatl and tilmatli in the men, and 

 of the cueitl, and the huepilli, in the women. The 

 maxtlatl was a large belt or girdle, the two ends of 

 which hung down before and behind to cover the parts 

 of fliame. The tilmatli was a fquare mantle, about 

 four feet long; the two ends were tied upon the bread, 

 or upon one moulder, as appears in our figures. The 

 cueitl, or Mexican gown, was alfo a piece of fquare cloth, 

 in which the women wrapped themfelves from their 

 waifts down to the middle of the leg. The huepilli was 

 a little under veft, or waiftcoat, without fleeves. 



The drefs of the poor people was made of the thread 

 of the maguei, or mountain palm, or at bed the cloth 

 of coarfe cotton; but thofe of better ftation wore the 

 fineft cotton, embeliifhed with various colours, and fi- 

 gures of animals, or flowers, or wove with feathers, or 

 the fine hair of the rabbit, and adorned with various 

 little figures of gold and loofe locks of cotton hanging 

 about the girdle or maxtlatl. The men ufed to wear 

 two or three mantles, and the women three or four 

 vefts, and as many gowns, putting the longed: under- 

 moft, fo as that a part of each of them might be feen. 

 The lords wore in winter waiftcoats of cotton, inter- 

 woven with foft feathers, or the hair of the rabbit. 

 Women of rank wore, befides the huepilli, an upper 

 veR, fomething like the furplice or gown of our eccle- 

 fiaflics, but larger and with longer fleeves (o). 



Their {hoes were nothing but foles of leather, or 

 coarfe cloth of the maguei, tied with firings, and only- 

 covered 



(o) We have fpoken elfewhere of the habits of the kings, priefts, and mi- 

 litary perfons. 



