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Prehispanic Highland Textile Technologies: A View from the First Millennium AD at Hualcayán, Ancash, Peru

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2021

M. Elizabeth Grávalos Open the ORCID record for M. Elizabeth Grávalos [Opens in a new window]  and
Rebecca E. Bria
M. Elizabeth Grávalos*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Behavioral Sciences Building M/C 027, 1007 West Harrison Str., Chicago, IL 60607, USA
Rebecca E. Bria
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Texas–San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
*
(mgrava2@uic.edu, corresponding author)
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Abstract

The exceptional preservation of perishable artifacts on the arid west coast of the Andes has led to an abundance of knowledge on prehispanic textile production. Yet comparatively little of this knowledge is based on highland examples due to their poor preservation in the moist environment of the Andean sierra. Systematic excavations in 2011–2012 at the archaeological complex of Hualcayán in highland Ancash, Peru, revealed surprisingly well-preserved textiles and cordage from four partially looted machay-style tombs. In this article we provide an overview of textile forms, production techniques, and iconography from a sample of 292 textile and cordage fragments, equaling 20% of Hualcayán's assemblage. This work contributes to a better understanding of ancient Andean weaving in general and interregional interaction during the Early Intermediate period and Middle Horizon (ca. AD 1–1000) in particular. Significantly, we document variability in cotton yarn and a general uniformity in camelid yarn and weaving techniques in the overall sample. These findings, in combination with similarities in weaving techniques and style between coastal examples and Hualcayán's fabrics, suggest a coastal–highland relationship.

La excepcional preservación de artefactos perecederos en la costa árida oeste de los Andes ha permitido un abundante conocimiento sobre textiles prehispánicos. Sin embargo, comparativamente poco de este conocimiento viene de ejemplos andinos dada su mala preservación en el ambiente húmedo de la sierra. Excavaciones sistemáticas entre 2011–2012 en el complejo arqueológico de Hualcayán en la sierra de Ancash, Perú revelaron la presencia de textiles y de cordelería bien preservados, procedentes de cuatro tumbas estilo machay parcialmente huaqueadas. En este artículo presentamos un resumen de las formas, las técnicas de producción, y la iconografía de una muestra de 292 textiles y cordelería, la que representa 20% de la colección de Hualcayán. Este trabajo contribuye a un mayor conocimiento sobre el tejer en los Andes antiguos en general y de la interacción interregional durante el Periodo Intermedio Temprano y el Horizonte Medio (ca. 1–1000 dC) en particular. Significativamente, se documentó una variabilidad en hilos de algodón en la muestra y una uniformidad general de los hilos de camélido y las técnicas de tejido en la muestra total. Estos resultados, en combinación con las semejanzas en técnicas de tejer y estilo entre ejemplos de la costa y los tejidos de Hualcayán, sugieren una relación entre la costa y la sierra.

Keywords

Andean archaeologytextile analysiscommunities of practiceinterregional interactionArqueología andinaanálisis de textilescomunidades de prácticainteracción interregional
Type
Article
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 32 , Issue 4 , December 2021 , pp. 781 - 799
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for American Archaeology

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