Distinción, elegancia y luto en la moda virreinal: el uso de la indumentaria negra
Distinction, elegance and mourning in vice-royal fashion: the use of black clothing

Summary/Abstract: Since ancient times, the wear of black garments as a sign of mourning for the loss of a loved one has been related to night and darkness, and also to the fear of the unknown and death. Although there is no continuous line about the use of black to demonstrate mourning, in the case of Spain and its overseas kingdoms, its use is directly related to the promulgation of the “Pragmatic of mourning and wax” (1502), following the death of the prince Juan de Castilla in 1497, son of the Catholic Monarchs, which prescribed austerity in the celebration of funerals. This pragmatic was in force until it was modified by the Council of Toledo during the reign of Felipe V, in the first third of the 18th century. In addition, since the reign of Philip II, in the mid-sixteenth century, dressing “Spanish style”, that is, in black, became synonymous with prestige and elegance, since the king adopted black for his closet and turned it into the color of the court and a symbol of power and glory, thanks to the arrival in Spain of the Campeche wood, originally from the Yucatan peninsula, and its commercial monopoly. The palo de Campeche was highly valued because it produces an intense and stable black dye, characteristics that had not been achieved with the European dyeing techniques of the time. The use of black clothing spread from Spain and significantly affected fashion in both Europe and America. As can be seen, the implications of wearing black garments have been economic, political, and social. The paper seeks to demonstrate the importance attributed to black clothing in two different contexts in the viceroyalty of Peru.

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