Daily Life in
Central & South
America
MAYA • AZTEC • INCA
Clothing
Maya
Aztec
Inca
• Made of bark cloth,
hemp and cotton
• Men: turban-style
headdress, loincloths
• Women: turban-style
headdress or cloth
woven into hair, skirt,
sleeveless tunic or
dress
• Sandals
• Decorated based on
status
• Men: loincloths or hip
cloths, cloak
• Women: mid-calflength skirt, hiplength tunic
• Decoration and fabric
quality varied with
status
• Made of cotton (high
status) or palm fibre
(low status)
• Plant and animal dyes
• Priests & warriors had
most elaborate clothes
• Men: knee-length
tunic & cloak with
leather or grass
sandals
• Women: ankle-length
dress with wide
waistband and cape,
cloth pinned to cover
hair
• Made of alpaca &
vicuna wool in
highlands/cotton in
lowlands
• Plant and mineral
dyes
Wealthy Inca couple
Aztec women & Aztec man
Beauty & Adornment
Maya
Aztec
• Flattened forehead & • Only nobles could
crossed eyes were
wear luxury
ideal
ornaments, which
• Pierced ears, nose and
included gold head
lips
bands with feathers,
gold armbands, lip
plugs, ear plugs, nose
plugs
Inca
• Face paint for
mourning, war &
ceremonies
• Women: no earrings,
shell and bone beaded
necklaces, shawl pins
made of precious
metals
• Men: earrings or ear
plugs (material & size
marked status), gold
and silver bracelets,
medals to honour
military service,
feather crowns &
collars for ceremonies
Family Life
Maya
Aztec
Inca
• Infants given 4 names
• Girls married at 14,
boys at 18
• Marriages arranged
by groom’s parents
with help of
matchmaker
• Bride’s family paid a
dowry & hosted
wedding
• Lived with bride’s
family for 7 years
before starting their
own home
• Conception of a baby
celebrated with a
banquet
• From age of 3 girls
supervised by mother,
boys by father
• Marriages arranged
by parents with help
of matchmaker after
schooling complete
• Noblemen could have
multiple wives
• Divorce permitted,
but couples had to
return gifts
• Girls married between
14 and 18, men
between 25 and 30
• Needed marriage
licence and parent’s
permission
• House built for
couple and furnished
by their families
• Given land for each
child born to them
• When husband
performed mit’a, wife
took on all household
jobs
Education
Maya
• Most boys learned
father’s trade
• Noble boys went to
school to learn
reading, writing and
math
• All girls learned
household tasks
associated with their
rank
Aztec
Inca
• Boys study from age
10-22, girls from age
10-16
• Music & religion
taught to all children
• Girls educated in
household duties
• Boys learn father’s
trade, religious duties
& warfare
• Noble & some middle
class boys prepared
for priesthood,
military leadership or
political office
• Before 5, kids had no
responsibilities
• From 5-9 they helped
with small household
jobs
• Male commoners
served as shepherds
from 9-20 then serve
as pages or runners
until marriage
• Only upper class boys
received formal
education
• Girls trained at home
& couldn’t enter
professions
Food
Maya
Aztec
Inca
• 3 meals per day with
late afternoon meal
being largest
• Meat: turkey, venison
& tzome (hairless
dog)
• Posol: drink of
crushed corn boiled in
water
• tortillas (used as
utensils)
• stews of meat, fish &
vegetables
• Seasonal fruits
• Drank chocolate
• Tortillas
• Tamales
• Meat: turkey, quail,
venison, rabbit,
lobster, fish
• Seasonal fruit
• Drank chocolate
• Upper classes smoked
cigars after meals to
aid digestion
• Evening meal was
main meal of the day
• Corn
• Potatoes
• Chicha: drink of
fermented cornmeal
• Meat: guinea pigs
• Stews of potatoes,
maize, beans and
vegetables