Shamans, Supernaturals & Animal Spirits: Mythic Figures From the Ancient Andes

Tiwanaku dyers had mastered the more challenging, time-consuming process of dyeing wool with indigo. And a deeply
saturated blue is the most distinctive and characteristic color of this highland weaving tradition, supplying a midnight-dark
ground against which bright red and white details flicker as if caught by torchlight.
In this motif, the wings, talons, beak and cere of an eagle or condor are placed on a stocky, elongated torso that is more
quadruped than avian in form (although the harpy eagle from the eastern rainforests actually shows this startling heft
and solidity). This eccentric juxtaposition is not unique in Tiwanaku imagery. But the ambiguity of reference heightens
the impression of mystery and otherness, while expressing a complex set of mythological allusions. The hybrid figure
carries an unrecognizable object (bag, woven amulet, trophy head?) in lieu of the staff displayed by the retinue of winged
attendants depicted on the Sun Gateway, to which it must be related.
1 John Wayne Janusek, Ancient Tiwanaku (2008): 146.
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