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by Mildred Boyd Paintings
and statues from pre-Columbian times show that the female of the species
had to take a back seat when it came to personal adornment. Kings and
nobles bedecked themselves in gold, silver and jade in the form of pectorals,
armlets, lip plugs and ear spools and wore feather mosaic cloaks and magnificently
plumed head-dresses. The Aztec Emperor, Montezuma even wore golden sandals
and was so heavily laden with ornaments that he could only totter a few
steps without the support of two of his attendants. Even warriors went
into battle loaded with jewels, wielding lavishly decorated weapons and
wearing elaborate costumes, usually representing some fierce animal totem
such as the eagle or the jaguar. |