Aztec Clothing

Many different articles of clothing were required for different ceremonies and occasions for the Aztec Royalty.

The main material, no matter what occasion, used for the clothing of the Royalty was cotton, which was imported from other areas in the aztec empire.

To decorate their garments, feathers, fur, gold, precious stones, animal hide and decorative stitching were used.

The Aztecs had an enormous trading network which they used to access such materials as cotton which were not grown around or in the Aztec Empire.

Merchants also bought in foreign fabrics and other items which could be found in the marketplace and traded.

Farmers grew the cotton which was then transported around all of the aztec empire and traded for goods

For the average citizen, maguey cactus was grown and then woven into ‘ayate’ fibre which was used to make clothing.

Other materials for the lower class included yucca and palm fibres.

The clothing of the lower class was usually plain and undecorated.