The importance of textiles is underscored by their imulation or reiteration in other media, from architectural sculpture to arguably even the way metal was worked in the Andes. - Joanne Pillsbury in "Imperial Radiance: Luxury arts of the Incas and Their Predecessors." p. 34
Andean people were well versed in the art of textile production from at least 2500 BCE. They prioritized textiles as their most significant and highly valued item up until the Spanish conquering. It wore a wealth, rank, and power to the wearer. It was also used significantly in ritual settings, militaristic endeavors, and burials. Scholars know most about the Inca than previous civilizations because of Spanish records. Before the Spanish, they used an abstract record-keeping system called a quipu. It uses various threads at different lengths with varying knots. The actual code of its record is widely debated, and thus, not deciphered to this day. Aside from this system, their textiles used for clothing would also convey meaning. Andean textiles' archaeological record is well preserved due to the dry climate filled with deserts and caves. We find the textiles themselves with still pigmented fibers, but we also see the tools they used to make these fabrics. We can decipher the entire process these artisans used!
The process started first as a household product. By the time of the Inca Empire in the 15th century, it was an established imperial trade system with state-sanctioned weavers called Acllas. These textiles had importance in trade; the degree of quality determined it's worth. Further, it showed the status and power of the individual. For example, in the Inca empire, a garment woven by the Acllas could be gifted to elite members of Inca society as signs of political favor by the emperor. Even as we look beyond the Inca to other cultures, textiles played great importance in determining the status of the living and the dead! Previously we looked at the metalwork tradition and found its connection to burials and the position of the person's life; textiles act the same way but as a more powerful status marker. The abstract patterning, weave quality, and every other production factor determined this status. Each garment was explicitly designed to signify these outlines. And each culture also had specific markers of status. This creates a wide variety of traditions that survive, as seen below!
Some are simple plain weave canvases, while others are elaborate tapestries. They invented the loom in around 2000 BCE. Their threads were made from camelid, which was great for dying, and cotton. Depending on what was produced, these fibers could have been used separately or together. They also used techniques of embroidery, featherwork, painting, and sewn-on decorative ornamentation like metals. Textiles in this region have long been a complex and organized craft. This blog entry only scratches the surface of its meaning to these people. Looking back on previous blog posts, I have pointed out textiles numerous times in the art and archaeology related to these previous crafts. In the spring of 2020, I wrote a paper comparing Maya and Andean textiles. To gain a deeper understanding, you may dive into that; I have it linked here! My next post will cover Andean mummies, which will also unlock a new part of textiles! Stay tuned!
Sources
Cummins, Tom, and Joanne Rappaport. "The Reconfiguration of Civic and Sacred Space: Architecture, Image, and Writing in the Colonial Northern Andes." Latin American Literary Review, (1998): 174-200.
Hamilton, Andrew James. Scale and the Incas. Princeton University Press, 2018.
Lemaitre, Serge, Lena Bjerregaard, and Musées royaux d'art et d'histoire (Belgium). Inca: Textiles and Ornaments of the Andes. Belgium: Ludion, 2018.
Pillsbury, Joanne. "Imperial Radiance: Luxury Arts of the Incas and their Predecessors." In Golden Kingdoms: Luxury Arts in the Ancient Americas, edited by Joanne Pillsbury, Timothy F. Potts, and Kim Richter, pp. 33-43. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2017.
Images
Inca Quipu: 1400 D.C. Inca communication system. From the Larco Museum Collection. Released for free use.
Votive Checkerboard Tunic, 1460-1626, Inca, Argentina, Peru, or Bolivia, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/751900?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=andean+textiles&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=14
Tunic with Confronting Catfish, Nasca-Wari, 800-850 C.E., Peru, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/307975?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=andean+textiles&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=3
Miniature Dress, Ica, 12th-13th century, Peru, Ica Valley, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/312826?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=andean+textiles&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=10
Tunic, Wari, 700-850 C.E., Peru, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/315050?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=andean+textiles&offset=20&rpp=20&pos=34
Shirt, 1450-1550, Chimú, Peru, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/312784?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=andean+textiles&offset=40&rpp=20&pos=48