Figure 1.--Here we see a magic latern scene in Cuzco, probanly in the 1910s. Notice everyone hads headwear. At the center is a Aner-Indian woman with her baby. Notice all the different headwear styles. We beleve thast the traditional hat style was called a 'monterra', but our Peruvian readers will know more. This hat was worn widekly in the Andes, but decorated differently from village to village. Red was a common color. Around her we see a fedora, rounded-crown hat, and stocking caps called chullos. We are not sure what the baby's hat was called. Nor do we know what the man's hat at left was called, but it looks like populr Spanish style. We have seen it referred to variously as an Andalusian, bolero, Cordobes, or Spanish hat and with a wider brim as a gaucho hat.
Any discussion of clothing in Peru must begin with the Amer-Indian civilizations. The IUnca are the besr known m but were preceeded by many earlier civilzations, both slong the coast and in the Andes. The earlier civilizations appeared along the northern coast. And thaks to the arid enviroment along the coast, some early textiles have survived. The Inca were renowed for their marvelous textiles. The most famous garment is the poncho, a sleeveless wool garment with unsewn sides and a space for the head to pass through. This meant that it was thge easiest grment to produve, no sewing requirfed. The origings are unclear. Some say in weas from Quechua 'punchu'. Others say in was frim the Mapuche in souhern Chile. Pomcjhos are also associated with Mexico, but we sre mot sure if thast was the case in pre-Colombin times. Ameri-Indian styles have survived for women, mistly for festive occassions. Male fashions have been largely lost with the near total adoption of Western styles. As far as we know, there were no destinctive garmnts for children who wore small versions of their parent's clothing. Interestingly, Amerr-Indians adopted some styles of their Spanish conquerors and these actually became traditionl styles. the most obvious is the bowler hat. A brilliant Btitish salkesman conmvinmced Bolivians POeruvian women that they wouldkook beautiful in boler hats and thuis the bowler along with the monterra becanme a traditional style. Another traditionl style is the stockimg cap with ear flaps--the chullo. Western styles have increasingky made jnriads. Nearly all children wear Weestern styles, a process which began with the Spabish Conquest, but became increasingly common in the 20th century. Here we see asibling wearing Wesern fadionns, peobably in the 1870s (figure 1). We note a 1917 portrait of an unidentified boy. He is a fashionalble Peruvian boy from an affluent family of European origin. Such bioys in the late-19th and early-20th century might wear a suit with an Eton collar and boater hat. We believe that this was common throughout Latin America at the time among the affluent classes. Most Peruvian boys at the time, however, were very poor and still not wearing European fashions.
