Ffib COSTUME of the Conquistadorss 1492-1550 Iss
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The costume of the conquistadors, 1492-1550 Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Coon, Robin Jacquelyn, 1932- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 08/10/2021 16:02:18 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/348400 ffiB COSTUME OF THE CONQUISTADORSs 1492-1550 iss ' ' " Oy _ , ' . ' Robin Goon A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPiRTMENT OF DRAMA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of ■ MASTER OF ARTS v ' . In the Graduate College THE UHIFERSITI OF ARIZONA 1962 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of re quirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in The University Library to be made available to bor rowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in their judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. " / /? signed i i i Q-'l ^ > i / r ^ t. APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTORS This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: j0H1,f A> MILLS ^ Date Associate Professor of Drama Z 1 CHANlWG S. 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These men were the conquistadors whose legend has inspired literature, drama' and works of artd Historians eontinue.to delve into the archives to bring out new additions to.their: / storyo tJhil© many documents of the conquistadors and the immediate colonisers have been preserved, their raiment has noto little more remains than a few pieces of am o r and weapons that have survived the rusts, of timeo Thus they left little record for those in the future who might wish to depict the conquerors visually» The conquistadors continue to appear before us-^pn calendars» in book illustrations, civic murals, in parades, pageants, film doeu= mentaries, sculpture: and other works of art« -There are.many inaccuracies of costume to be found .in the representation.of the conquerors. Thus many of us have a conditioned misconception of what they really looked like. A primary example is that of the starched raff. Columbus, Cortez and Coronado are often shown wearing this article of dress though it was not worn until starch was invented about eighty years after Columbust voyage. Another example is the high-combed morion, the peaked helmet, which Coronado is often seen to be wearing. This form of helmet did not : evolve until after the middle of the sixteenth century==after Coronado had conducted his expedition. Yet another common misrepresentation is the dressing' of, the - eonquerors in the peaseed doublet or amor . This . peculiar fashion did not filly evolve until well into the reign of Phillip H of Spain and Elizabeth 1 of England=.«fifty years after the first conquest by Cortes in' 1519= There are several reasons for these misconceptions» Artists up to the nineteenth century.often dressed historical figures in the costume of their own time. These misrepresentations were passed on to their students. Even the historians immediately following the conquest period were apt to create an,erroneous picture if they used contemporary dress in their illustrations, for the period of the conquests fell just before there were distinct changes in costume silhouettes Within the period itself there was a gradual but obvious fashion change. These changes are sometimes not brought out in the general costume reference books which are often limited to discussing the fashion trends of the world as a whole. leither are they able to bring out the many differences amdngsen nations. A noted costume historian8 discussing the Renaissance, says: 06At this time, more definitely than before, different nations expressed 1 the prevailing mode in characteristically different ways.65 She also advises that the costumer should consult the paintings of the specific country and period in order to obtain a true picture of the contemporary scene. Unfortunately the Spanish artists of the period concerned are not well known and extensively published in pur country. Painters of the period directly following, such as Velasques, EL Greco,;Goello, are more ^Lucv Barton. Historic Costume for the Stage (Boston. 1935). 184. familiar» That their paintings are excellent costume studies may be another reason why the conquistadors appear in costume of a later date. The purpose of this thesis will be to present the accurate historical costumes of the Spanish conquistadors during the period of the major conquests from 1492=1550 us far as available resources will permit. To determine their costume it is necessary to study the dress of the mother country during the conquest period for they did not leave pictorial records of themselves. The sources of costume study for Spain are contemporary paintings, effigies, sculpture and book'illuminations. Primary sources of costume specifically worn by the conquistadors are references to costume in original documents of the conquerors or other contemporary works and some museum specimens. It is believed that a presentation of illustrations based upon the above sources will produce a fairly accurate picture of Spanish fashions during the conquest period. Complete bibliographical data for all illustrations in this thesis are given in the Notes, Dates accompanying the illustrations are those of the paintings or'other art sources from which they were • takeno An attempt has been made to arrange all series of illustrations in chronological order so that the gradual changes in fashions may be t seen. However a in order to discuss like costume articles as a whole, . ' it is sometimes necessary to break the apparent chronological order. Captions given for the illustrations generally represent the type of person wearing the illustrated garment in the original source. CHAPTER I Historical Background It is a general axiom that the story of an age and the character of a country are recorded in the .arts and the clothing of its people® The religious» political, social, and racial make-up of a nation influ ence the dress and bearing of its people® It is therefore necessary to review this make-up for an insight into the subjective elements which made the Spanish dress distinctive from that of other nations® On January 2, 1492, a brilliant pageant took place which marked the beginning of a new era in Spanish history® King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile, joint rulers, accepted the surrender and the keys of the last Moorish kingdom in the land® The reeonquest of the Peninsula by the Christians ended eight hundred years of Moorish rule in Spain® Ferdinand and Isabella now turned their efforts from a lifetime of war to that of unifying and developing their country® Their visions were broad and had far reaching effects into the future® Before the year was over thousands of Spanish Jews were expelled! from the land that they had lived in since the days of Solomon® The reason for their .expulsion was an important part of the monarehs0 policy that was to shape the future national character of Spain® Isabella, as a spiritual leader, envisioned a people one in faith; Ferdinand envisioned a state® ^Undertheir joint rule, the Spanish anarchy became, a state and the Spanish state became a ■ Salvador de Madariaga® Christopher Columbus (lew Yorks, 1940) , P.