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Mexican boys clothing in the early 20th century was still very significantly affected by social class and demographics. Affluent Mexican boys in the city, both the rich and confortable miffle class dressed essentially like European boys. The urban poor dressed variously. We note both the standard white camposuno outfits as well as clohing styles influenced by the more affluent city dwealers. We continue to see Mexican boys wearing in rural areas wearing white camposino outfits in the early 20th century. Mexico in the 1910s was convulsed by Revolution. The rural poor championed by leaders like Villa and Zapata played a major role in the Revolution. The Partido Revolucianio Institucional (PRI) which seized control of Mexico after the Revolution persued a policy of reforms with generally disappointed results, but Mexico was changed and fashion differences between urban and rural areas begin to decline. We still see the white camposino outfits in the 1920s and 30s, but they gradually become less common after World War II in the 1940s. We begin to see Mexican children increasingly dressing like European children. Middle class boys might wear short pants, but this was less common with working-class urban children and rural children. Afer World War II, American fashions begin to become increasingly common as trade and family connections with the United States expand. We see American fashions appearing even in rural Mexico. Mexico's failure to develop a viable economy and continuing rural and urban poverty are a significant factor affecting clothing and fashion in the country for both adults and children. Significantly increased migration was a major factor in spreading American fashions south of the border into rural areas. Many of the new migrants came from rural areas. American immigration laws changed (1960s). Greatly increased illegal migration became pronounced (1970s). Mexican children's styles by the end of the century were basically the same as American.
Mexican boys clothing in the early 20th century was still very significantly affected by social class and demographics. Affluent Mexican boys in the city, both the rich and confortable miffle class dressed essentially like European boys. The urban poor dressed variously. We note both the standard white camposuno outfits as well as clohing styles influenced by the more affluent city dwealers. We continue to see Mexican boys wearing in rural areas wearing white camposino outfits in the early 20th century.
Mexico in the 1910s was convulsed by Revolution. The rural poor championed by leaders like Villa and Zapata played a major role in the Revolution. While people in the cities, including the children, wore European styles, we still people in rural areas still commonly wearing the white compesino shirts and pants and straw hats. Images from the Revolution show boys dressed like this.
The Partido Revolucianio Institucional (PRI) which seized control of Mexico after the Revolution and in the 1920s pursued a policy of socialist breforms with generally disappointed albeit predicrable results, but Mexico was changed and fashion differences between urban and rural areas begin to decline. We still mostly white camposino outfits in rural areas during the 1920s. Well to do urban children dressed very differently. A good examble is the Obregón children in 1921. They look to be wearing Oliver Twist suits.
We still see a substantial difference between the clothes worn by city and rural children in the 1930s. Government policies pronoting industry resulted in a substantial migration of people from rural areas to the cities. This was the beginning of a mekding of urban and rural popultions. There was aubstabtial growth of urban slums areas, but conditions and opportunities were still better in the cities than in rural areas. And with the growth of urban populations, the differences between the clothing worn in rural and urban areas began to decline. We begin to see Mexican children increasingly dressing like European children. Middle class boys in the cities might wear short pants, but this was less common with working-class urban children and rural children. And while the white compesino clothing was still common in rural areas, it was no longer the exclusive style for rural chhildren.
Afer World War II, American fashions begin to become increasingly common as trade and family connections with the United States expand. We see American fashions appearing even in rural Mexico. Mexico's failure to develop a viable economy and continuing rural and urban poverty are a significant factor affecting clothing and fashion in the country for both adults and children.
Significantly increased migration was a major factor in spreading American fashions south of the border into rural areas. Many of the new migrants came from rural areas. A Mexican contributor to HBC reports, "recuerdo que en mi infacia durante los años 60, a los niños nos vestian de pantalones bien cortitos, en trajes o de chaleco o sueter, generalmente en la clase media alta, algunos niños pasaban inadvertidos a otros no les gustaba. En mexico, era muy comun ver a niños vistiendo pantalones cortos de echo era un requerimiento obligatorio, no habia forma de decir que no queria usar esa prenda, normalmetne los pantalones cortos se usaban de lana o casimir, e inclusive terciopelo, a las mamas les encantaba ver a los niños con los pantalones bien cortitos, porque entre mas cortitos usaran los pantalones mas control se ejercia sobre ellos, para traerlos mas aniñados, se usaban camisas blancas de algodon de cuello ancho, y manga corta los pantaloncitos se usaban en colores azul marino, cafe, verde olivo , gris oxford blancos, algunos niños seguian usando el estilo de marinerito, o trajes sastre el uso del pantalon cortito era desde el nacimiento hasta los 13 años, inclusive en esta edad toda via se bromeaba con el niño diciendo te gustaria seguir usando pantalones cortos, muchos niños hacian unos berrinches tremendos por no querer usar pantalon cortito, pero aqui en mexico el lema era que solo los adultos tenian ese derecho, ya que existia el dicho es que te vamos a traer bien cortito, simbolizando el pantalon con la conducta.... y de algun modo pareciera ser que los pantalones cortos si manipulaban la conducta del niño, ya que entre mas cortitos trajera los pantalones mas refinada era el comportamiento....
I am not a linguist, but my rough translation is: I remember when I was young during the 1960s, boys who dressed in short shorts, en suits or jackets and sweaters with longer shorts. Some boys did mind the style while others didn't like it. It was quite common for boys to wear short pants, in fact it was almost a requirement. [I think the contributor is talking about relatively affluent families.] They were often made of wool or cashmere, including velvet. Mothers were enchanted to see their sons in short pants. Not only did they think they looked smarter, but it was a way of showing that there sons were being properly supervised. To dress them more aniñados [I'm not sure what this means], boys were dressed in white cotton shirts with wide collars and short sleeves. The pants were navy blue, brown, olive green, grey, and white. Some mothers liked sailor suits for the younger boys. Boys as old as 13 years might wear short pants, although most boys by that age had graduated to long pants. These boys liked to tease the boys still wearing shorts. In turn they complasined to their parents asking for long pants like the other boys. They were often told that long pants were for adults and shorts for boys as some mothers were quite insistent about shorts. Some mothers used short pants to ensure that their sons were well behaved. Some mothers believed the shorter a boys pants, the better he behaved.
American immigration laws changed (1960s).
Greatly increased illegal migration became pronounced (1970s).
Mexican children's styles by the end of the century were basically the same as American.
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