Browse Items (254 total)

It may seem odd that the distinctively Inka mode of writing in knotted threads would survive the Spanish invasion and colonization. Indeed, in 1581 the khipu was officially outlawed, although its use went underground and has not completely…

A writing device—fulfilling the communicative purpose of recording and transmitting knowledge among trained individuals over time—the Inka khipu can take a number of forms (a mono- and polychrome example). In the ways that a handwritten poem and a…

Writing—recording information in a format that others at the time and later can decipher—was accomplished by the Inka Empire of South America using thousands of knotted string devices known as khipu. In the Carlos collection there are two other…

The modern and contemporary women of the north coast and offshore islands of Panamá, the Guna (previously Cuna or Kuna), incorporated the European scissors and machine-made cloth in the 19th century to make a remarkable new “traditional” blouse. It…

This brocaded cloth features a supernatural pelican-man. Still bright after over five hundred years, scarlet highlights the standing figure’s face and the many little pelicans that sit on his arms and emerge magically from/as his body. The two…

Since ancient times, Maya women have worn a wide, rectangular blouse known as a huipíl over a wrap-around skirt. This mid-20th century one comes from the famous market town of Chichicastenango.A three-part huipíl such as this would have been worn on…

Although this piece is also only part of a larger composition, nevertheless it is very revealing. Here the intentional color surprise is the bright pink background for the yellow bird toward the top right corner. No other instance of such a color is…

A fragment of a Wari tapestry tunic was originally along the side seam of a four-foot square garment. However, even this small fragment illustrates several important concepts and aesthetic choices made over 1300 years ago in the Andes. The…

The imagery on this band may be a challenge to decipher (see drawing above), but features a series of feathers. The quills quite realistically change from brown to tan and the down is again shown accurately as white. However, at each end of the…

Throughout history imitation has been seen as “the sincerest form of praise” and the ancient Andes is no exception. Here featherwork is imitated in woven textiles, tapestry in particular. In this tiny piece, the quills are delineated, the ends come…