Aztec children’s clothes

What clothes did Aztec children wear? Not a lot! No footwear, no underwear, nothing fancy, not much more than a simple top. About all that changed when you grew up as a Mexica kid was the length of your skirt... (Written by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore)

Pic 1: Aztec boys and girls learning from their parents, Codex Mendoza (Click on image to enlarge)

The Codex Mendoza has the answer: its drawings of Aztec children at different ages tell us much about their clothing - and about how little these changed as kids grew up! It shows (see pic 1) Aztec children being taught by their parents, from the ages of three to six. Before the age of three, most Mexica kids ran around naked! Dad and son are on the left, mum and daughter on the right. NOTE: count the blue dots to tell the child’s age...

Pic 2: An Aztec mum teaches - and ticks off! - her daughter (Click on image to enlarge)

Already by the age of 3 (top row, pic 1) the children’s clothing looks like their mum and dad’s. The little boy wears a cape, tied on the same shoulder as his dad, but he doesn’t wear a loincloth; the little girl has a blouse identical to her mum’s, but without a skirt.

Pic 3: Boys at an Aztec school (Click on image to enlarge)

By 4 (see second row, pic 1), though the boy still hasn’t got a loincloth, the girl now wears a short skirt to go with her plain blouse.
At 5 (see third row, pic 1), the daughter, now wearing a longer skirt, is being taught how to use a spindle, to weave with. Meanwhile, two boys, each clad only in a cape, are sent outside the family home to bring back light loads of needed materials... Here the boys are using their capes to carry the burdens...

Pic 4: Aztec boy wearing a plain loin-cloth (Click on image to enlarge)

At 6 (see bottom row, pic 1), the children have even more jobs to do. The young girl, kneeling exactly like her mum and with a small version of her mum’s blouse, is beginning to practice the art of spinning... The boys, however, are already being sent out into the busy marketplace to gather left-overs.

Pic 5: Aztec girls wearing blouses (Click on image to enlarge)

So, BOYS only started to wear a loincloth from the age of 13. A short cape tied at the shoulder, however, was definitely the most common piece of clothing for a young Aztec boy.

GIRLS, on the other hand, wore the usual blouse from a very young age; soon they would add a skirt - though it started short, it quickly dropped down to the ankles as the years sped by...

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