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MATERIALS
That goldworking was not perceived by Andean
peoples as their most refined artistic activity is at
least partly due to the fact that gold was so abundant
in the mud of Peruvian rivers. Cotton fiber and
camelid wool, on the other hand, were high-quality
imported commodities. These materials were considered
prestigious because they had to be obtained
from distant regions through trade, and producing
wool involved the domestication of camelids. The
complexity of a textile’s motifs and the time spent
manufacturing it were two factors that determined
its value. Some of them took as much as ten years
to create. It has long been thought that the raw
materials came from the Andean cordillera’s highlands—
or from even farther away. Today there are
two kinds of camelid wool from the Andes: alpaca
and vicuna. It is tempting to think that that was
the case a few thousand years ago as well, but the
study of pre-conquest yarns reveals a different and
far more complex picture involving species that are
different from the ones we know. The dry and arid
climate of the Central and South Peruvian Coast
enabled not only the preservation of textiles but
that of the bodies of animals, including those of
the camelids under discussion here. Two hundred
sacrificed camelids that were selected for the color
of their coats were found at the Huanchaquito–Las
Llamas site in northern Peru. Tombs containing
mummified camelids also attest to the
presence of species that have now disappeared.
DNA studies have moreover
shown that the wool of these animals
had finer fibers than those of today. As
such, it was better suited for weaving,
as Elise Dufour and Nicolas Goepfert explain
in their article in the Inca Dress Code
exhibition catalog. Llamas, alpacas, and vicunas
also supplied high-quality wool.
Extremely reliable contemporary isotope
geochemistry techniques make it possible
to determine an animal’s geographic origin
on the basis of a single fiber. This
amazing technology allows us to conclude
that herds were not only found
at high altitudes but that a substantial
number of camelids were also on
the coast. This represents a revolution
in our understanding of the systems of
trade and transportation of these raw
materials among Pre-Hispanic peoples. We know,
for example, that the wool used for the creation of
Chancay textiles came from high altitudes and was
brought down to the coast. Lambayeque textiles,
on the other hand, were produced from local wool.
The revelations that science now provides, coupled
with in-depth stylistic analysis, are opening promising
doors for further study.
DYES AND COLORANTS
Coloration was another major element
in the manufacture of Andean textiles.
The extraction of dyes and colorants
from plants and animals led to the
availability of an impressive variety
of tints and dyes that was augmented
by the natural color range of the
fibers of the cotton or animal wool.
When looking at certain works, especially
Nazca or Wari ones, the amazing palette
of colors they display is remarkable:
Blues, reds, yellows, mauves, pinks, and
greens abound. The colors are exceptionally
well preserved and reveal
an extraordinary mastery of dyeing
techniques. Using a battery of scientific
tests, we are able to identify
the sources and origins of many of
these colors. Trees like oak, walnut,
and mahogany were used, as were
various plants and certain mollusks.
Indigo was also widely used. Red came
FIG. 12 (right): Finial for a
mask or headdress. Moche,
North Coast, Peru.
AD 100–600.
Gold alloy, silver, copper. H: 25 cm.
Linden-Museum Stuttgart.
© Linden-Museum Stuttgart.
Photo: A. Dreyer.
FIG. 13 (below): Fineline
stirrup vessel. Moche, North
Coast, Peru. AD 100–600.
Terracotta. H: 29.3 cm.
Musée Royal d’Art et d’Histoire,
Brussels, inv. AAM 39.84.
© KMKG-MRAH.
ANDEAN TEXTILES