The Adorned Body

The contributors [to The Adorned Body]...quite compellingly explore the objectives and reception of specific symbolism, especially in public ceremonies and processions. The authors draw on a rich corpus of basic data, including hundreds of richly painted ceramics and abundant frescoes painted on white plastered walls in temples, palaces, and other venues...The chapters are well illustrated, and fortunately there is a section of color illustrations in the center of the book...Recommended. ~CHOICE

The Adorned Body provides a complete and exhaustive survey on dress and fashion among the ancient Maya...This book represents a brief and clear but comprehensive review on ancient Maya clothing. It will be of interest as a first approach to this subject or as a useful support for scholars who need to widen or develop their knowledge on the topic, thanks to the richness of references given about others’ works...The book also provides a whole perception of the human body in Mesoamerican civilization. ~Journal of Dress History

The authors play with physical realities as well as theoretical concerns, exploring each aspect of clothing or adornment from hieroglyphic, material, and (ancient) social perspectives. I did not know I wanted or needed to know about all of these adornments, but now I realize what I was missing. This work is fresh and clearly written. ~James L. Fitzsimmons, Middlebury University, author of Death and the Classic Maya Kings

Full of unexpected insights, The Adorned Body is a tremendously helpful synthesis of a broad range of ancient Maya practices of dress and self-presentation. Written in clear and accessible prose, and amply illustrated, each chapter examines vocabulary, materiality, spatial and temporal patterns of distribution, and social factors affecting a different kind of adornment, from diadems to shoes.  The result is a foundational survey that will interest specialists and novices alike. ~Claudia Brittenham, University of Chicago, author of The Murals of Cacaxtla

A highly welcomed volume…[The Adorned Body] addresses the yet under-investigated topic of ancient Maya dress conception and features...the eleven chapters written by different authors provide ample documentation of iconography, epigraphy, and materiality concerning Maya output of dresses and adorned bodies.

~Anthropos