Peruvian Faces 99 tifs, as in the magnificent Chimu/Chancay textile with stylized human figures enclosed by felines and surrounded with crosses and birds (fig. 30). This particular textile demonstrates how human or human-type visages are related to events of significance. What enhances the powerful graphic impact and magnificent condition of certain textiles of this kind is the presence not only of birds but fish in their beaks. This references a meaningful fact of daily life—the role of coastal birds in eating the nutritious fish of the Pacific coast, and then depositing guano (droppings), mainly on the Islas Ballestas, the offshore islands near the coast of Paracas. Such guano was indispensable as fertilizer for the coastal river valleys of Peru, and therefore for the maintenance of human culture and even life. CONCLUSION The weavers of pre-Columbian Peru created works of remarkable artistry that stand today as masterpieces of world art, both in terms of their technical capabilities and, more interestingly, their conceptual expression. Today their artistic renderings arguably pose more questions than provide answers. The fascinating, absorbing theme of the humantype face in ancient textiles leaves us with but one eternal regret: that we cannot go back in time to question the artists about their inspiration and thereby achieve greater understanding of the richness of their works. FIG. 29 (left): Detail of a tapestry-woven ceremonial pillow featuring fifteen similar frontal personages. Chimu, North Coast, Peru. AD 1100–1460. Camelid wool. 58.4 x 78.7 cm. Private collection, New York. FIG. 30 (below): Detail of two joined tapestry-woven panels. Chimu/Chancay border, Central Coast, Peru. AD 1100–1460. Camelid wool. 66 x 66.7 cm. Private collection, New York. FIG. 28 (right): Painted mantle with faces. Coastal Huari, South Coast, Peru. Cotton. 96.5 x 71.1 cm. Private collection.
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