Threads of Time: Tradition and Change in Indigenous American Textiles

Ancient Andean Belt with Tassels

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Title

Ancient Andean Belt with Tassels

Description

This belt dates from between 1000 and 1450 AD. It represents continuity within the long tradition of finely woven belts made in warp-face techniques. It is similar, but not identical, to the complementary techniques used in the 20th and 21st century. Made in supple cotton, still flexible after many centuries, its patterning features frontal figures with their hands out and elbows bent. This is the most common pose seen in Late Intermediate Period coastal textiles, especially those of the Chimú Empire. The elaborate and colorful tassels are also characteristic of this culture.

Geographic Area

South America, Central Andes, North Coast

Culture

Chimú

Date

Late Intermediate Period, ca. 1000–1470 AD

Materials

Cotton, camelid fiber

Credit Line

Gift of Cora and Laurence C. Witten II

Accession Number

1992.15.288

Photo Credit

Photo by Michael McKelvey

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