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Mayan Beauty – Skull Modification Mayans thought a long head was beautiful. Parents would strap a pair of boards to the front and back of their babies' heads -- while they were still soft and therefore could be shaped. The babies' heads would be re-shaped to have long, sloping foreheads. Basically from birth babies would have boards strapped to their heads (skull modification). This was done (we think) to make the heads look like a piece of corn because of its social and religious value. As for the hair: long hair was common for both men and women. Women wore their hair one way when they were unmarried and wore it another way when they became married.
Mayan Beauty – Features The Maya sense of beauty also included crossed eyes. Crossed eyes were thought to be beautiful for women. Noses were also an important feature when it came to Mayan ideas of good looks. A pronounced (big) nose was considered to be a beautiful nose. A practice existed in which a clay extension would be attached to the nose in order to make it appear larger.
Mayan Beauty – Teeth Moving on to the teeth -- Mayans thought teeth were pretty when sharpened to points, which they did by filing them. Another tooth enhancement involved drilling a hole in the center of the front of various teeth, where a piece of jade would be inserted.
Mayan Beauty – Piercing and Tattoos As for piercings, in one way the Maya had one idea that is the same as what we see as pretty today: ear piercings. However, the ancient Maya seem to have thought that lip piercings and septum (the part of the nose that divides the nostrils) piercings were also pretty -- instead of seeing it as more unusual as we might. Another common practice for both men and women was the act of getting tattooed -- after becoming married.
