How did the Inca dress up?

The clothes, of course, had to be magnificent. The Inca had tons of clothing, for him to wear and also for his bed. A curious fact about it is that the fabric from his bedclothing was so exquisite that some Spanish kings ordered to made them and send them all the way from Peru to Spain for their very own beds. The Incas really knew how to get a good night´s sleep on those soft sheets!

How did the Inca dress up?

The clothes, of course, had to be magnificent. The Inca had tons of clothing, for him to wear and also for his bed. A curious fact about it is that the fabric from his bedclothing was so exquisite that some Spanish kings ordered to made them and send them all the way from Peru to Spain for their very own beds. The Incas really knew how to get a good night´s sleep on those soft sheets!

The Inca king never, I mean never, wore the same thing twice. But they were really generous and donated their clothes to the people, unlike any other king you have heard of, right?

The basic materials of Inca clothing were super high-quality cotton, for his visits to the coastal areas of the empire, and the wool of alpaca and vicuña for the Andean region and Cuzco, where he lived. This wool was as soft as the cashmere itself!

The women of the empire were in charge of spinning and weaving magnificent woven fabrics, both for the bosom of her family and for the rulers, in payment of the tribute to the Inca.

This special fabric, called cumbi or cumpi, was made of vicuña wool, and when they wanted to give an even greater quality or colorful appearance, it was mixed with gold threads. Also, extraordinary gemstones were placed on it, as a super cool final finish.

These fabrics were made of fine gold brocades, silver threads, and threads made of the hairs of some animals, feathers, and the most extraordinary, of bats' hairs! Yes, you read it right… bats!