Clothing Fragment with Pampas Cats DECORATIVE ART Textile ; 100 B.C.-100 A.D. Cotton ground, wool embroidery Paracas 9 x 20 in.; 22.86 x 50.8 cm Gift of George D. Pratt (Class of 1893) AC T.1933.7

Located on the Paracas Peninsula on the southern coast of Peru, the Paracas culture left behind the burial site Paracas Necropolis, discovered in the 1920s by Julio C. Tello. This piece was probably part of the wrappings of the mummy bundles buried there, where the arid conditions preserved similar textiles. Many artifacts were taken from Paracas Necropolis by grave robbers, or huaqueros, and sold throughout the world.

While Paracas did not have a writing system, the iconography of their textiles held visual communication, and such garments as this one were worn in daily life to show rank and regional affiliation. Such cloths would later be used to wrap the dead, and more layers of textiles would wrap the bodies of those of higher social rank. This cloth may have been part of a sash or a belt, although the unbroken border suggests it was not part of a bigger cloth. Because of its small size, this piece was probably woven on a backstrap loom, a type of loom that limits the size of the cloth to the distance a weaver’s arms can reach. Cross-knit looping was probably used to create the border of this piece. As for the pattern, the figure-within-a-figure is the pampas cat, or Felis colocolo, the largest predator found, at the time, in the south coast of Peru. As depicted in this Paracas textile, the fur of this species is coarse and long, and the hairs are slightly longer along the mid-dorsal line, producing a slight but distinct crest which is usually darker than the remainder of the back. The pampas cat is the only South American cat that has pointed rather than rounded ears, which are clearly shown in this textile. Furthermore, the pampas cats appear to have exaggerated “facial hair” but in reality, their whiskers are not very long. Instead their facial fur has marks that look like extensions of the whiskers.

Paracas textiles display some of the most complicated techniques and structures in the world. Their weaving was mostly cotton-based and incorporated camelid fibers. The cotton may have been grown nearby in the Pisco River Valley, with the camelid fibers traded from highland settlements. For this piece, dyers would have used the insect cochineal to produce the red dye. Spinners would have produced the thread, and then designers and weavers would have created the cloth. Sometimes, one person would create the basic design and then other weavers would fill it out. The quality and quantity of Paracas textiles surpass the technical skill and numbers of all other artifacts recovered from the excavated burials, and leave little doubt as to the paramount importance of weaving in this culture.

Written by Brittany Berckes and Gina Rodriguez

Special thanks to Donald Proulx (UMass Amhesrt) and Richard Burger (Yale University)

Bibliography:

Casaverde, Kruscaya. “Paracas.” 2 Oct. 2009 .

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Deem, James M. “Paracas Mummies.” World Mummies. 2 Oct. 2009 .

“ Culture: Vessel Depicting Composite Fish, Feline, and Human Figure.” The Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access. .

Nelson, Sarah Milledge. Handbook of Gender in Archaeology. Altamira Press, 2006.

“Paracas Culture: Embroidered Mantle.” The Art Institute of Chicago: Art Access. August 2004. 2 Oct. 2009 .

Paul, Annie. Paracas Ritual Attire: Symbols of Authority in Ancient Peru. USA: University of Oklahoma Press, 1990.

“Red Scales in the Sunset.” 5 Oct. 2009 .

“Textiles of the Paracas Culture.” 2 Oct. 2009 .