Threads Through Times:Learning of a Past Culture Through

Their Textiles

By Amanda Tetz, Undergraduate student at Idaho State University

Some Main Cultures of the Andeans

• North:• Chavin ~900 to 1 B.C.• Moche ~1 B.C. to 750 A.D.• Chimu or Chimor ~ 1000 to 1500 A.D.• Central:• Pachamachay ~8000 to 2000 B.C.• Huari ~ 500 to 800 A.D.• Chancay ~ 1000 to 1500 A.D.• South:• Paracas ~ 600 to 1 B.C.• Nazca ~ 1 to 500 A.D.

The History of Textiles in the Andeans

• Pre-Paracas earliest culture to weave in the Andeans that we know of ~ 6000 B.C.

• Highly valued labor intensive craft• Traditionally women’s work• Source of pride and femininity• Social and Ethnic Identity

Terminology of Weaving• Warp• Weft• Double-faced Weave • Warp/Weft faced Weave• Split weave• Thread count • Embroidery• Twinning• Painted• Motifs• Backstrap loom• Iconography vs. Iconology

Weaver’s Tools

The Connection Between Weaving and Cultural Identity

• The Importance of:• Feline• Birds of Prey• Hummingbirds • Snakes• Plants• The Staff God

Two Important God Deities

Conclusion

César Paternosto said that “As long as geometric signs are neutralized as ‘decorations’ the historical picture of Pre-Columbian cultures will remain incomplete.”