Abstract

VANEGAS DURAN, Claudia Marcela. Social virtues and clothing in Yucatan by the end of 19th and the beginning of 20th Century. Estud. cult. maya [online]. 2019, vol.53, pp.261-287. ISSN 0185-2574.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.ecm.2019.53.971.

Clothes constitute a material cultural element in which bodies become social since it conveys staples of behavior linked to either moral, ethical, aesthetic ideals, or patterns of distinction socially sanctioned. This article analyzes the meanings built around clothing based on codes for behavior written in morality handbooks and economic treaties that were published and widely used in Yucatan during the second half of the 19th century, and the beginning of the 20th century. These types of texts helped to spread social virtues linked to the ideal of civility, morality and economic progress while shaping social subjects for the ideal nations in process of formation. This explains why in both State´s high schools and elementary schools, the youth had to learn and assimilate practices and behaviors entailed in clothing as a code that granted accurate performance in both public and private spheres. This research seeks to contribute to the study of costumes, behavior and mentalities behind in 19th century Yucatan and during its transition towards modernization.

Keywords : civility handbooks; behavioral codes; clothing; Yucatan; 19th and 20th century.