How did dancers use handkerchiefs to communicate in variations of the zamacueca?

In variations of the zamacueca, dancers used handkerchiefs as expressive tools to embellish rhythmic arm gestures and communicate specific intentions to their partners.1

The use of the handkerchief served as a nonverbal language of courtship:

• Setting Boundaries: If a woman wished to temper her partner's passionate advances, she would hold the handkerchief in front of her face.1
• Enticement: A man would attempt to entice his partner by draping the handkerchief over her shoulder and slowly sliding it off.1
• Directing Movement: In certain versions, such as the Mexican chilena, the man used the handkerchief to signal changes in direction by flipping it with one hand.1

In these performances, the handkerchief often carried symbolic weight; for instance, in the chilena, a man's red handkerchief represented the comb of a rooster, reinforcing the dance's theme of amorous conquest.1