1. Altar cloth
The Mochica and Vir cultures
600-1000 BC
Museo de Arte Precolombino, No. 0205
Photograph by Fernando Maldonado


2. Andean ritual table, Atacama, Chile
Museo de Arte Precolombino, No. 0205
Photograph by Victoria Castro

Andean ethnographic textiles maintain an active cultural role, a fact that can be clearly observed in the religious celebrations and in the land and livestock fertility ceremonies. These events call for emblematic pieces; elements of clothing hang in churches and schools, banners lead processions, other woven pieces adorn tables with images, the participants’ attire manifests a heightened ability to communicate roles; vehicles, animals, and musical instruments appear to be exalted, depicted characteristically through the colour of textiles.
Even today, notable pieces are shown on these occasions. They are highly appreciated by the community, whose colour and technological codes have contributed to a tradition that allows these ethnic groups to survive despite the tension caused by the expansion of contemporary culture. These fabrics are invigorating; they are unique, spellbinding objects that take us back to the excellence of pre-Columbian textiles resorting to similar colour associations. They centre the rituals associated with offerings around a proposed order through the visual configuration of altar cloths and/or inkuñas and llijllas, in which red is the predominant colour.

Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino

Paulina Brugnoli, Curator, Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, Lima, Peru

Soledad Hoces de la Guardia, Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, Lima, Peru

Photographs: Fernando Maldonado, Victoria Castro


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