92
FIG. 10 (left): Vessel with an image of
a yarn spinner with her child. Chimu,
Peru. AD 1100–1450.
Terracotta. H: 25.5 cm.
Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac,
inv. 71.1902.26.2.
© Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Dist.
RMN-Grand Palais/Patrick Gries/Valérie Torre.
FIG. 11 (above):
Figure. Chancay, Peru.
AD 1100–1450.
Cotton, wool, terracotta. H: 46 cm.
Musée Royal d’Art et d’Histoire,
Brussels, inv. AAM 70.8.
© KMKG-MRAH.
FEATURE
common. An outfi t for a male is generally made
up of a tunic, a loincloth, a mantle, and a head
covering. Original examples of trapezoidal tunics
are known from the North Coast. The iconic Inca
unku could be distinguished from these mainly by
the treatment of the collar. The most recognizable
unku motif is undoubtedly the “checkerboard”
design (fi g. 5), which is strikingly
modernistic. Women generally wore a tunic
or a length of rolled and pinned fabric,
sometimes called acsu or urcu, which was
secured by a belt. A mantle was worn on
top. Few complete examples of women’s
outfi ts have survived.6
Weaving was not limited to the manufacture of
apparel but was also used to create certain utilitarian
objects for daily life, such as coca bags. The coca
leaf was an essential element in the daily lives of the
Andeans. It was used routinely to stave off fatigue
at high altitudes and was an indispensable substance
for shamans, who used it mixed with lime
for its hallucinogenic properties. Coca was generally
cultivated in the central valleys and transported
to the highlands after harvest, and it has been
found in tombs inside purpose-made bags.