1. Threads Through Times:
Learning of a Past Culture Through
Their Textiles
By Amanda Tetz, Undergraduate student at Idaho State
University

2. Some Main Cultures of the Andeans
• North:
• Chavin ~900 to 1 B.C.
• Moche ~1 B.C. to 750 A.D.
• Chimu or Chimor ~ 1000 to 1500 A.D.
• Central:
• Pachamachay ~8000 to 2000 B.C.
• Huari ~ 500 to 800 A.D.
• Chancay ~ 1000 to 1500 A.D.
• South:
• Paracas ~ 600 to 1 B.C.
• Nazca ~ 1 to 500 A.D.

3. The History of Textiles in the Andeans
• Pre-Paracas earliest culture to weave in the
Andeans that we know of ~ 6000 B.C.
• Highly valued labor intensive craft
• Traditionally women’s work
• Source of pride and femininity
• Social and Ethnic Identity

4. Terminology of Weaving
• Warp
• Weft
• Double-faced Weave
• Warp/Weft faced Weave
• Split weave
• Thread count
• Embroidery
• Twinning
• Painted
• Motifs
• Backstrap loom
• Iconography vs. Iconology

5. Weaver’s Tools

6. The Connection Between Weaving and
Cultural Identity
• The Importance of:
• Feline
• Birds of Prey
• Hummingbirds
• Snakes
• Plants
• The Staff God

7. Two Important God Deities

8. Conclusion
César Paternosto said that “As long as geometric
signs are neutralized as ‘decorations’ the
historical picture of Pre-Columbian cultures
will remain incomplete.”