Costume and History in Highland Ecuador (Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Series in Latin American and Latino Art and Culture)

The traditional costumes worn by people in the Andes—women’s woolen skirts, men’s ponchos, woven belts, and white felt hats—instantly identify them as natives of the region and serve as revealing markers of ethnicity, social class, gender, age, and so on. Because costume expresses so much, scholars study it to learn how the indigenous people of the Andes have identified themselves over time, as well as how others have identified and influenced them. Costume and History in Highland Ecuador assembles for the first time for any Andean country the evidence for indigenous costume from the entire chronological range of prehistory and history. The contributors glean a remarkable amount of information from pre-Hispanic ceramics and textile tools, archaeological textiles from the Inca empire in Peru, written accounts from the colonial period, nineteenth-century European-style pictorial representations, and twentieth-century textiles in museum collections. Their findings reveal that several garments introduced by the Incas, including men’s tunics and women’s wrapped dresses, shawls, and belts, had a remarkable longevity. They also demonstrate that the hybrid poncho from Chile and the rebozo from Mexico diffused in South America during the colonial period, and that the development of the rebozo in particular was more interesting and complex than has previously been suggested. The adoption of Spanish garments such as the pollera (skirt) and man’s shirt were also less straightforward and of more recent vintage than might be expected.

The traditional costumes worn by people in the Andes-women'swoolen skirts, men's ponchos, woven belts, and white felthats-instantly identify them as natives of the region and serve asrevealing markers of ethnicity, social class, gender, age, and soon. Because costume expresses so much, scholars study it to learnhow the indigenous people of the Andes have identified themselvesover time, as well as how others have identified and influencedthem.

Costume and History in Highland Ecuador assembles forthe first time for any Andean country the evidence for indigenouscostume from the entire chronological range of prehistory andhistory. The contributors glean a remarkable amount of informationfrom pre-Hispanic ceramics and textile tools, archaeologicaltextiles from the Inca empire in Peru, written accounts from thecolonial period, nineteenth-century European-style pictorialrepresentations, and twentieth-century textiles in museumcollections. Their findings reveal that several garments introducedby the Incas, including men's tunics and women's wrapped dresses,shawls, and belts, had a remarkable longevity. They alsodemonstrate that the hybrid poncho from Chile and the rebozo fromMexico diffused in South America during the colonial period, andthat the development of the rebozo in particular was moreinteresting and complex than has previously been suggested. Theadoption of Spanish garments such as the pollera (skirt)and man's shirt were also less straightforward and of more recentvintage than might be expected.

Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction (Ann Pollard Rowe) Chapter 1. Ecuador before the Incas The Geography of Ecuador (Karen Olsen Bruhns) An Introduction to the Archaeology of Ecuador (Karen Olsen Bruhns) Costume in Ecuador before the Incas (Karen Olsen Bruhns) Evidence for Pre-Inca Textiles (Ann Pollard Rowe) Chapter 2. Ecuador under the Inca Empire The Incas in Quito (John Howland Rowe) Costume under the Inca Empire (Ann Pollard Rowe) Chapter 3. Ecuador under the Spanish Empire An Introduction to the History of Colonial Ecuador (Suzanne Austin) Colonial Costume (Lynn A. Meisch) Chapter 4. Historical Developments in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Ecuador (Margaret Young-Sánchez) Chapter 5. Carchi Province (Ecuador) and the Department of Nariño (Colombia) (Joanne Rappaport) Chapter 6. Costume in Imbabura Province Otavalo (Lynn A. Meisch) Natabuela (Ann Pollard Rowe) Eastern Imbabura and Northeastern Pichincha Provinces (Lynn A. Meisch and Ann Pollard Rowe) Chapter 7. Costume in Southern Pichincha Province (Ann Pollard Rowe) Chapter 8. Costume in Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, and Bolívar Provinces (Ann Pollard Rowe) Chapter 9. Costume in Chimborazo and Cañar Provinces Chapter 10. Azuay Province The Cholos of Azuay: Historical Introduction (Margaret Young-Sánchez) Historic Costume in Azuay (Lynn A. Meisch and Ann Pollard Rowe) Chapter 11. Saraguro Costume in Loja Province (Lynn A. Meisch) Conclusions Notes Glossary (Ann Pollard Rowe) References Cited Contributors Index Geography Of Ecuador / Karen Olsen Bruhns -- Introduction To The Archaeology Of Ecuador / Karen Olsen Bruhns -- Costume In Ecuador Before The Incas / Karen Olsen Bruhns -- Evidence For Pre-inca Textiles / Ann Pollard Rowe -- Incas In Quito / John Howland Rowe -- Costume Under The Inca Empire / Ann Pollard Rowe -- Introduction To The History Of Colonial Ecuador / Suzanne Austin -- Colonial Costume / Lynn A. Meisch -- Historical Developments In Nineteenth- And Twentieth-century Ecuador / Margaret Young-sánchez -- Carchi Province (ecuador) And The Department Of Nariño (colombia) / Joanne Rappaport -- Otavalo / Lynn A. Meisch -- Natabuela / Ann Pollard Rowe -- Eastern Imbabura And Northeastern Pichincha Provinces / Lynn A. Meisch And Ann Pollard Rowe -- Costume In Southern Pichincha Province / Ann Pollard Rowe -- Costume In Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, And Bolivar Provinces / Ann Pollard Rowe -- Cholos Of Azuay : Historical Introduction / Margaret Young-sánchez -- Historic Costume In Azuay / Lynn A. Meisch And Ann Pollard Rowe -- Saraguro Costume In Loja Province / Lynn A. Meisch. By Ann Pollard Rowe And Lynn A. Meisch ; With Contributions By Suzanne Austin ... [et Al.] ; Edited By Ann Pollard Rowe. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [337]-365) And Index. The traditional costumes worn by people in the Andes identify them as natives of the region and serve as markers of ethnicity, social class, gender, age, and so on. Because costume expresses so much, scholars study it to learn how the indigenous people of the Andes have identified themselves over time, as well as how others have identified and influenced them. This book assembles the evidence for Andean indigenous costume from the entire chronological range of prehistory and history. The findings reveal that several garments introduced by the Incas, including men's tunics and women's wrapped dresses, shawls, and belts, had a remarkable longevity. They also demonstrate that the hybrid poncho from Chile and the rebozo from Mexico diffused in South America during the colonial period, and that the development of the rebozo in particular was more interesting and complex than has previously been suggested. The adoption of Spanish garments such as the pollera (skirt) and man's shirt were also less straightforward and of more recent vintage than might be expected Using a wide variety of archaeological and archival evidence of indigenous clothing, jewelry, and hairstyles, scholars trace the history of costume in Ecuador from prehistory to the twentieth century.