Nicaragua at the beginning of the 20th century

coffee, power and women’s clothing

Abstract

This article examines women’s clothing in Nicaragua at the beginning of the 20th century, in the context of the modernization process promoted under the liberal government of José Santos Zelaya. The study is organized around three main objectives: to characterize women’s clothing in Nicaragua during the beginning of the 20th century, to establish the relationship between the rise of coffee cultivation in Nicaragua and the evolution of women’s clothing, and to analyze the role of clothing in shaping national identity during that period. Photography from the period stands out as a fundamental tool for demonstrating the historical evolution of women’s clothing in Nicaragua, providing data on dates, places, characters and situations that, together, offer an invaluable graphic resource for the reconstruction of this historical scenario.