Art Institute of Chicago

Fragment

Chancay

Date

1000-1476

Medium

Cotton and wool (camelid), bands of weft faced plain weave, and slit tapestry weave with wrapping outlining wefts

Culture

Peru

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The quality and variety of Chancay textiles, which include both woven and painted designs, demonstrate the importance of the medium to this culture. Here, rows of venomous scorpions scurry across wide yellow bands. The Chancay associated these nocturnal arachnids with death, war, and the supernatural, and they may allude to the power of ruling warriors.

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