Piercings In The Mayan Times
The Mayans were known to decorate their bodies with various tattoos, piercing and decorative wear. But behind every piercing was a deeper meaning. The Mayans actually used piercings to symbolize status or rank amongst people.
The Mayans practiced piercing in many different body areas including ears, nasal septum, lip and tongue.
The septum piercing was a favourite amongst the Mayans. People with a high status would decorate themselves with body jewellery made form gold and jade as they both had special religious meanings. The lower class and poorer Mayans would decorate their septum piercings with more natural and commonly found materials such as bone, wood and even feathers. This tradition has continued into modern day, with certain tribes in the Peru area still displaying septum piercings.
A Labret piercing was also common with the Mayans, but reserved only for men who were highly ranked amongst the tribe. The liked to wear decorative and ornamental pieces, including serpent shapes again made from gold and jade.
In fact piercing dates back to biblical times, with a mummy found over 5000 years ago with an ear piercing. This just shows that body piercing is not just some craze and is sure to be around to stay.
Read More