Troperos or Muleteers
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Description:
As discussed before, sometimes costume is not a means of decoration or ornamentation at all. Sometimes, it is merely a body covering, and sometimes it is a practical and protective utilitarian garment that has its own character and purpose. This is the case with the principal garment of these Troperos, an illustration from Views and costumes of the city and neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, again a color reproduction of the original drawing:
"The outward Covering or Cloak of these People is call Ponxa ; it is merely a large piece of Cloth of an oval shape, having a hole or slit in the middle. Being thrown over the Head it rests upon the Shoulders, leaving the Arms at liberty. It serves as a Garment by Day, as a Bed at Night, and is more or less expensive according to the means of the Owner, whose riches or rank are easily discoverable by the materials of which it is made, and the ornaments it bears."
We can compare the Ponxa to the Serape of Mexico and the Poncho of several other countries. This garment is an excellent example of the similarities in costume over a widespread area, and how practicalities will always be a determining factor in the endurance of a costume.
Book Title: Views and costumes of the city and neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil : from drawings taken by
Plate Number: Plate 25
Call Number: F2646 .C5 1974