Amano Museum - Textiles, Lima, Peru

The exhibition of the Amano Pre-Columbian Textile Museum is composed of 4 rooms and designed in accordance with 3 expositional concepts:

Chronological textile sequence - The display covers the emergence of textiles around the world, the first raw materials employed, and textile history within Peruvian territory, tracing the development of the Chavín, Paracas, Nasca, Moche, Wari, Sihuas, Lambayeque, Chimu, Chancay, Chuquibamba, and Inca cultures.

Raw materials and textile tools room - Displays the entire process required for the production of the textiles exhibited in the museum, from the selection of raw materials, to dyeing, spinning, and the types of loom employed. Examples of the textile mastery achieved are exhibited, together with items demonstrating the different uses to which fibers were put.

Yoshitaro Amano room - Access is now available to the storage facilities of the museum, where cabinets can be opened by those interested in studying the textile art developed by the Chancay culture through close observation of fine examples of the different techniques and designs adopted and enriched by this great society of skilled textile workers and pottery makers.

In its first two rooms, the Amano Textile Museum exhibits more than 120 textile works representing the long history of cultural development in pre-Columbian Peru. The visitor experience culminates with the room in which more than 460 examples of Chancay textiles from the collection amassed by Mr. Amano are displayed.

Entrance to the museum Amano Pre-Columbian Textile Museum is a museum in Miraflores, Lima, Peru.

Nets Nets like these were used by the earliest Peruvians. Made of Cabuya.

Chavin culture

Chavin monolith Chavin artisans. 900 BCE - 100 BCE. Carved quadrangular granite stone slab. Frontal character sculpted with characteristics of the Chavin culture: feline features, wings and human head held in the right hand. Finely polished piece. The image on this stone depicts one of the delties of Chavín, which was reproduced in the clothing worn by the priests of the period. Using ceremonial costumes, the priests were transformed in the eyes of their subjects into divine intermediaries, or into gods themselves. Aspects of this mythical world were depicted early, in great works carved from stone. These deities ensured seasonal rainfall and abundant harvests.

Pottery with a deity's face design Artisans of Chavin. 1200 BCE - 200 BCE. Ceramic piece, globular bottle with stirrup spout. Drawings: stylized face of the deity in the Formative Period. The closed oven produced this black finish. The appearance of ceramics, another important discovery, involves the appearance of a new support to represent beliefs, priests and gods. Thanks to this burning process, the mud turned into stone and these containers made it possible to transport large quantities of liquid or cook food.

Felines and eyes The most common images are those of deities composed of fangs, mouths and eyes, combined with the characteristics of felines, serpents, birds, shrimps and plants. Of particular interest are the staff gods like the one seen in this impressive textile, which closely resembles the god seen at the New Temple at Chavin de Huantar. There are numerous and complex drawings painted in the textiles called Carhua, or Karwa. Very few textiles of this type have survived.

The first gods, 1500 BCE to 100 CE The textiles discovered at Karwa. The nearly 200 Chavín textiles discovered at the Karwa site (Ica) around 1970, together with human burials, show a great deal of religious symbolism. The painting work was probably done with brushes or cotton swabs in various thicknesses and was supported by flexible templates that facilitated the repetition of designs. The most frequent colors are brown, orange-red, purple-brown, olive green and turquoise green. A few textiles show the technique of dyeing in reserve; examples of dyed textiles have also been discovered, some of them in deep blue. The dyes for all these works were obtained from mineral, vegetable and animal sources. Although there is no conclusive evidence, it is likely that the painted textiles served as means of religious indoctrination or as temporary ceremonial clothing. Clearly textiles have advantages over other supports (such as stone) due to their ease of being folded and transported over long distances as part of the exchange of ceramic works of art, dried fish, semi-precious stones and pigments.

Paracas culture

The great weavers, 800 BCE to 200 CE Paracas, desert textile makers, 800 BCE to 100 CE - This society from the southern coast of ancient Peru was composed of the different groups that settled in the valleys of the Ica region. During its early phase, Paracas culture was influenced by Chavin religious beliefs. Gradually, new regional religious practices evolved. The outstanding richness of Paracas textile production contrasts with the aridity of the desert where these artworks were discovered. Paracas Textile Techniques - The Paracas developed most of the textile techniques known to pre-Columbian cultures and still used today by Peruvian artisans. The fibers and techniques used in these textiles were directly related to the function and social status of those who used them. They mastered basic techniques such as knotting for making nets, ringing for three-dimensional weaving, and almost all the construction variants of the loom. Plain fabrics can be found - initially made of cotton - and, little by little, more of camelid wool, such as those used for wrapping funerary bundles. Slotted tapestry or kelim made with cotton warps and wool wefts has also been found. The fine, elastic fabric called double cloth began to be made of cotton, but towards the final period of this culture, it was mostly made of wool. Discontinuous warps and wefts correspond to another important technique for making fabrics and designs developed for the production of cloaks and shirts called unkus. The gauze technique - which produces light and delicate textiles - was used to make clothing items such as tunics or unkus.

Restored Paracas mantle This restored Paracas mantle is the product of one year of patient rescue work by the museum staff. The embroidery in the display cabinet forms part of a group of 61 fragments which took two years to restore.

Decorating mantles and Funerary textiles Decorating mantles - Paracas mantles could be made from large, simple monochrome textiles (some of which were up to 15 meters long and 5 meters wide) or beautiful multicolored textiles containing a multitude of designs, featuring animals, humans or gods. Paracas embroidery achieved an impressive level of detail in small almost three-dimensional figures. The animals represented included swift, condors and hawks; killer whales, sharks and sea lions; foxes, wildcats, otters; monkeys and camelids. Master embroiderers and apprentices would work together, thereby ensuring that traditions were passed on and new masters rained. Funerary textiles - Paracas textiles were valuable from the time they were obtained from raw materials and dyed. This value increased with the technique used and the motifs depicted. Most of the Paracas textiles known today come from funerary bundles. Many of these would have been the work of specialized families who produced beautiful mantles on request, some of them made well before the event of death. Unfinished mantles have also been found, which would indicate that they are works in progress.

Unku In the funeral bundles, sets were discovered that match their colors and designs, as is the case with this cloak and unku.

Paracas gods The Paracas worshipped many gods and supernatural beings. The emergence of these deities was influenced by religious traditions such as the Chavin. Human figures with supernatural attributes or ornaments that identified them as rulers can be seen. More geometric representations are related to the Paracas Cavernas tradition. Other more complex and detailed images of gods belong to the phase known as Paracas Necropolis. The different representative styles found in Paracas art coexisted during the Paracas period. Some gods were depicted as flying beings, creatures that were part bird, or as humans with feline characteristics. Their features were imitated by the warriors and priests of the period. Shamans or priests served as the intermediaries between humans, benign and hostile deities, and the dead or ancestors.

Paracas clothing, mantles and tunics Paracas clothing varied according to gender and the function for which it had been designed. Such considerations led to variations in technique and iconography. The clothing worn included: kilts, long tunics, turbans or llautos, shawals or ñañacas, short capes, sashes, dresses, ponchos, nets, mantles, loincloths (waras), shirts, short-sleeved tunics (unkus), caps and bags.

Funerary offerings and miniatures Within Paracas tombs and funerary bundles, a number of objects have been discovered that were intended as offerings to the dead, including beautiful decorative textiles, feather fans, pottery, staffs, colanders, etc. These items accompanied the dead on their journey into the world of the ancestors. Other funerary offerings included miniature copies of kilts, loincloths, turbans, mantles, caps, capes and feather work attire; all of these were produced using the same techniques employed in the manufacturing of standard sized clothing. These offerings, symbolyzed the expectations of the deceased regarding the afterlife and - through a series of ceremonial offerings performed over time - they were also seen as a way of maintaining contact with ancestors.

Nasca culture

Nasca, heirs of the desert Situated in the desert of Ica (on Peru's southern coast) this society made developments in textiles and potery. The multicolored artworks of Nasca reflect their debt to the culture of Paracas, a relationship evidenced by the remains of the great temple of Cahuachi.

Nasca clothing and textiles Men wore loincloths and short tunics, as well as turbans made from long strips of cloth. The nobility dressed in embroidered cloaks and long tunics with painted designs or borders adorned with three-dimensional figures. Some headdresses were made using sprang technique. Women wore different length dresses that fell below the knee and wore their hair loose or gathered into braids. Both men and women tattooed their bodies and wore face or body paint.

Nasca textile techniques, resist dyeing A This is one of the most impressive techniques developed in ancient Peru, the use of which has also been documented in other countries around the world. The term “resist” refers to the way in which sections of the textile or its designs were covered. This was done before submerging the textile in liquid dye, with hot or cold water in order to prevent the dye from reaching those sections. To initiate this process, a natural-colored base textile was required, in some cases formed by two sections of cloth that had been boiled to make them flexible and soft, and therefore easier to handle. The first step consisted of pulling on small sections of the material and tying them with cotton threads - in a nipping motion - thereby creating knots arranged in the form that would produce the required designs. The next step was to soak the material by submerging it in hot water, in which the dye had already been dissolved. Once the desired color had been achieved, the textile was removed and left to dry.

Moche culture

The Moche and their textile workshops This culture emerged on Peru's northern coast and was a great example of social stratification and specialization. Occupying an arid territory, it achieved high levels of agricultural and artistic production. The Moche captured all aspects of their earthly lives and the deities they worshipped in the decoration of their exquisite pottery.

Mythical creatures of water and sky In Moche mythology there were numerous gods and supernatural beings. The lunar animal was one of many mythical creatures and symbolized both the power of deities and rulers and the relationship between the sea and the night sky. Similarly, for the Moche, understanding their ecosystem was of great importance. A fish called life - frequently used as an icon - was a symbol of seasonal changes, fertility and the renewal of irrigation canals.

Wari culture

Wari, the first Andean empire, 700 CE to 900 CE This society developed from its base in the southern highlands of Peru (Ayacucho) and marked the beginning of a new belief system which spread throughout much of Peruvian territory. The Wari empire enjoyed the necessary religious prestige required to conquer great swathes of territory, and this expansion was characterized by the establishment of stone-built cities with large independent complexes devoted to ancestor worship. In addition, the Wari constructed one of the earilest road networks, which would eventualy form part of the system known as Qhapaq Ñan. The discovery of high status tombs at a number of sites on Peru’s central, northern and southern coast provides evidence of the political and religious expansion of this culture. In addition, objects such as clubs, breastplates, ankle guards and helmets demonstrate the military capabilities of Wari culture.

The Waris The influence of the empire on regional cultures - The expansion of its designs is evidence of the way in which Wari culture directly influenced other societies in ancient Peru; its styles were imitated by those peoples who had contact with the Wari. Iconography and exquisite works of art (Northern Wari) - In northern and central Peru remarkable evidence has been found of the fine textiles produced under Wari influence. On the northern coast, the symbolism and deities of the highlands began to be represented, or merged with local motifs.

Wari lords Long tunics, known as unkus, are the most representative woven items of this society. These were made by joining two vertical strips of material sewn in the middle and at the sides, to form different models and sizes. Unkus were worn by the nobility and by warriors. The larger ones were used to cover great Wari funerary bundles, arraying the nobles for their final journey into the world of the dead.

Techniques and designs in Wari textiles Wari textiles are ranked among the finest found anywhere in the world, renowed for the high level of technical skill employed, as well as the handling of colors, organization and design. The masters of the art of dyeing produced an enormous range of colors (principally red, yellow, black, white, blue and purple), creating more than 150 tonalities. They developed brocading, warp pattern, double cloth, painted cloth, flat braiding, caps and textiles incorporating feathers, and needle-binding for small articles such as bands and buttons. The Wari tended to use wool in their textile work. The tapestry technique became their preferred medium, not only for the range of opaque to alities employed, but also for the fineness and quality of the finished product.

Four cornered caps These unusual caps - representative of one of the castes of Wari nobility - were made from a core ring of material from which fibers were braided to form the upper part of the cap. The sides and appendages were sewn on later to give the cap its final shape.

Lambayeque culture

The Lambayeque This culture - the product of a combination of Moche and Wari styles - maintained close ties with the traditions of its ancestors. In this context, great cities were constructed around colossal mud brick truncated pyramids. Ceremonial activities included the offering of Spondylus shells to the ancestors and many deities, as well as to mythical creatures that ruled over a divine pantheon associated with the sea, agriculture, textile making, livestock herding and fertility.

Chimu culture

Chimor kingdom Chimu was a powerful and organized society descended from the Moche. It developed on the north coast of Peru. They built one of the largest mud-brick cities in ancient Peru: Chan Chan. This was a large walled city made up of nine complexes, each containing plazas, storehouses, audience chambers, and pyramids. All of these structures were surrounded by neighborhoods inhabited by farmers and workers who supplied the temples. The Chimu continually expanded their agricultural frontiers to the north, creating an important kingdom capable of expanding its area of influence and conquering other regions, such as the territory of the Lambayeque culture. Chimu's large metallurgical and textile industries maintained close relations with several other domains, such as Chancay and Cajamarca.

Clothing for Chimu rulers / Tribute in cloth The rulers' clothing was made up of three pieces: the turban, or cap, which supported the headdress or crown and, in many cases, had two bands that hung on each side; the tunic, or unku, with three-quarter sleeves; and the decorated kilt, or wara. In addition, bracelets or wristbands were worn, as well as metal anklets, crowns, etc. This type of clothing - made with the finest threads by the most skilled artisans - differentiated the ruling elite from the other social classes in the Chimu world. The designs of these unkus were reproduced in all components of elite clothing. They indicated the power of the wearer and their status within the palaces of Chan Chan. Rulers were portrayed in the superb pottery produced during this period,

Feathework art Of particular interest is the relationship between the Chimu nobility and birds, which were said to be descended from common ancestors. Items of clothing like this symbolized both the power of flight possessed by birds and the noble lineage of Chimu rulers. They were made using feathers from macaws, parrots, toucans, hummingbirds, herons, eagles, etc. The techniques employed in their manufacture included lacework and mosaic; techniques could also be combined, so that feathers of uniform size could be arranged in the form of scales. The feathers used came from tropical forest species. In many cases, these would probably have been raised in captivity on the coast, rather than hunted. The feathers were collected when the birds molted, and different color variations could be obtained through special diets or the application of dyes or organic substances to the new feathers.

Chuquibamba culture

Chuquibamba textiles, 1000 CE to 1470 CE Chuquibamba, northwest of Arequipa, has given its name to a culture that established its main settlements in the highlands of this region, principally within the Ocoña, Camaná-Majes-Colca and Sigua river basins. This culture was characterized by its pottery art and its fine polychrome textiles, which featured designs including eight-pointed stars and depictions of serpents, birds or fish.

Chancay culture

Chancay, a textile culture: 900 CE - 1450 CE This society emerged on Peru’s central coast and formed part of tradition of small regional chiefdoms which from around 900 CE developed rapidly and pacifically as skillful textile makers and potters. This culture developed a remarkable variety of textile techniques. These included gauze and cross-hatching, lace, double face weaving, tapestry, weft pattern, embroidery, resist dyeing and painted cloth, as well as featherwork. The Chancay also developed a variety of designs and types of textile objects, reflecting the environment in which they lived and their social development.

Inka empire

Tocapus This term is used today to refer to the small squares containing special designs which adorned the clothing worn by the Inka nobility. Many modern researchers believe that tocapus were components of a visual communication system which was understood by the Inka nobility and respected by the common people. The modular distribution of these symbols and the representation of icons and a range of objects bring to mind a similar communication system worn to this day on biographical sashes woven by those indigenous communities who have conserved their pre-Columbian traditions.

Textile manufacturing

Raw material The fiber to be used is of great importance in all textile work. it must be long and resistant. The end result of the fiber selection and preparation process is a series of fibers separated by color or composition. Initially, the most commonly used materials were the product of different types of vegetable fiber (such as agave or maguey), of a durable consistency suitable for rope and basket making. Later, the use of cotton became widespread, due to its fine quality and suitability in the making of a variety of products. Subsequently, the use of camelid fiber obtained through shearing was added to the weavers’ repertoire, particularly in cold, highland areas where cotton was not grown. Wool varied in quality according to the animal from which it was taken: the coarsest wool came from guanacos and llamas; while alpacas and vicunas produced the softest, finest wool.

Dyeing All fibers had to be prepared before dyeing. Cotton seeds had to be removed and, to soften it, the cotton was beaten with a quince rod; for its part, wool fiber had to be washed and mixed with vegetable products. The dyeing process required a thorough knowledge of vegetable, animal and mineral resources on the part of dyers, who looked to nature in search of the materials that were essential to their trade. The raw material gathered from nature was crushed in order to extract colors; the resulting colorants were then dissolved in heated water, into which the fibers were placed in order to absorb the colors. To fix the dyes, in some cases it was necessary to employ additional materials, such as salts or tannins (acids and astringents).

Spinning Only cotton and camelid wool fibers can be spun. These materials acquire greater elasticity and strength, unlike other stiffer fibers. The making of yarn was the responsibility of specialist workers, who had to produce enormous quantities in order to supply local textile workshops or trade yarn with other regions of ancient Peru. Both ordinary women and noblewomen were engaged in this activity. The spinning process involved pulling on a burl or ball of cotton and rubbing the fiber in a single direction while coiling the yarn obtained onto a rod known as a spindle. This tool has a whorl at one end, which acts as a counterweight, maintaining the rate of spin. The yarn, twisted one way or the other (S or Z), may be spun again with another yarn, producing a double or even quadruple thread that can be used in fringes or braided to make rope. The direction of the twisting is controlled by rotating the spindle while resting it on the ground, against the thigh, or suspended in the air.

Loom and tools All looms require additional tools for their use and to improve the quality of the work. These tools include awls for unraveling threads and shed-rods. Looms like this were used to train the textile makers of ancient Peru. Some of the tools used for the decorative embroidering of mantles have else been found: these include needles, pin holders end thimbles.

Other uses for fibers We tend to think of textiles in terms of items of clothing. However, among the objects left to us by ancient Peruvian cultures we find a number of everyday textile objects, such as scales used to weigh valuable offerings, baskets decoreted with thread that were used by textile makers and spinners, bags bearing a range of designs, necklaces, caps or headdresses, and capes worn by the nobility, bands for securing braided hair, biographical belts, fabric sculptures and dioramas, as well as footwear worn by the people of ancient Peru. This range of items demonstrates the essential nature of textile production in ancient Peru.

See also

• Amano Museum Textiles in 2024-05

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Source

• Xxxx - Wikipedia

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Location