Wearing Culture: Dress and Regalia in Early Mesoamerica and Central America

11. Wrapped in the Clothing of the Sacred

351 DOI: 10.5876_9781607322825.c011 11 Wrapped in the Clothing of the Sacred Whitney Lytle and F. Kent Reilly III inTroduCTion Following the theme of this volume on the transcendent power of costume and adornment, we contribute an examination of regalia as a tool for communication within the Olmec political sphere. Olmec rulers used works of art as forms of politico-religious display (Reilly 1995; Furst 1995). Combining these influential social structures in art allowed for the ruler to display this duality as validation for his/her political position. Several scholars have specifically discussed the shamanic contents of Olmec art from interpretation of iconography and archaeological contexts of artifacts placed in tableaux1 (Furst 1995; Reilly 1995; Joralemon 1971). From these interpretations, the supernatural ability of transformation appears as a powerful theme within Olmec art.This theme was not only demonstrated in the iconographic subject matter but in the use and reuse of the raw material. The fact that thrones were modified into colossal heads is evidence for the transformative nature of monument construction itself (Cyphers 2004; Porter 1989). These monuments, like their Maya counterparts, were kept wrapped until viewed during ritual use (Reilly 2006; Stuart 1996). Through restriction of access, the act of wrapping or bundling the object enhances the perception of its sacredness. Though social position as reflected in clothing is not a new concept, we hope to shed additional light on this by suggesting that the dressings themselves were transformative tools. Like the wrappings surrounding carved monuments, ritual regalia acts to separate the wearer from onlookers, establishing increased power. WHITNEY LY TLE AND F. KENT REILLY III 352 We would like to draw attention to our method of comparison with Classic Maya monuments. This utilizes the process of upstreaming for iconographic interpretation.2 We also would like to recognize that the Middle to Late Formative period Maya are contemporaneous with the Olmec.These cultures inspired one another artistically, as can be seen in the recently discovered San Bartolo murals (100 BCE), which show prominent Olmec influences (Taube et al. 2005). Like artistic representations, clothing and regalia have also been used to communicate beliefs, political affiliations, and socioeconomic status (Wingfield, this volume ; Joyce, this volume; Blomster, this volume; Hepp and Rieger, this volume ; Winzenz, this volume; Looper 2003). Understanding the messages conveyed through regalia requires a literacy of the symbols and motifs relevant to the culture. The phenomenon of communication through clothing can be observed in cultures both ancient and modern. For instance, European monarchs wore elaborate articles of clothing to display their wealth and elite status. Undoubtedly, these rulers believed their right to rule was granted to them by access to specific aspects of the supernatural. Hocart claims that all kings are the representatives of gods (1927:7). “The king became a miracle worker. The ability to heal, visible evidence of each coronation’s supernatural nature, was first mentioned in twelfth-century texts” (Morgan 1967:29). These kings were seen as possessing divine or “miraculous” access to the supernatural. Through regalia obtained at coronations, kings were able to portray themselves visually as conduits between the natural and supernatural worlds. In France the king was considered “the Sergeant of God,” the “king-priest,” or the “king magician”(Morgan 1967:29; Hocart 1927:40).This belief stemmed from the miracle baptism of Clovis, the founder and first king of France.3 Later, it is said, his wife was visited by an angel who announced that Clovis’s strength would increase if he displayed the fleur-de-lis as his royal emblem. Due to its origin, the royal emblem itself was considered godly (Morgan 1967:28–29). Louis XIV used the fleur-de-lis (Figure 11.1) as an abstract identifier of the semidivine status of France’s monarchs. The repetitive appearance of this symbolism on royal regalia (Figure 11.2) visually affirmed the wearer’s divine sanction. This was a clear message of Louis XIV’s high status to commoners and other royals alike. Figure 11.1. Fleur-de-lis motif used as a royal emblem. Figure 11.2. Portrait of Louis XIV, King of France, in royal costume. Note the use of repetitive fleur-de-lis motifs on the robe. 1701 Erich Lessing/ART RESOURCE, NY. WHITNEY LY TLE AND F. KENT REILLY III 354 The rulers of ancient Mesoamerica also understood the “billboard” effect created by certain aspects of regalia advertizing the wearer’s supernatural prowess...