Psychological analysis of women in the tradition «La conspiración de la saya y manto» by Ricardo Palma

Abstract

This presentation will analyze the psychology of the Peruvian woman represented in «La conspiración de la saya y manto». Therefore, the following topics will be analyzed: the arrival of the saya (part of the female clothing composed of a long colorful pleated skirt that left the feet visible) and the manto (part of the female clothing made of black silk that was tied around the waist and covered the back and almost the entire face) to Peru, the social situation of women, the significance of the tapada (use of the elements of the female clothing of the XVI century) limeña for three hundred years, the expansion to nearby countries and its end in the XIX century. In the first part, the analysis of the Spanish women’s clothing is emphasized; in the second one, the treatment of the Lima women is evaluated; in the third one, the consequences and effects that the use of the saya and the manto brought in the life of both men and women are reflected on; in the fourth one, its expansion outside the country, as a Peruvian fashion, is investigated. Finally, in the last section, the end of the use of the saya and manto in 1860 is interpreted.