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

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Motifs for a Garment
Camelids
Chancay or Chimú culture
AD 1000-1476
Camelid wool; embroidery or knitting
4"–5" x 6" (each)
The camelids have the smaller, delicate proportions of a young llama or the smaller
vicuña. Each motif is embellished with oversized concentric eyes and a unique
configuration of diagonal lines. The individuated figures were probably applied to a
ceremonial or funerary garment.
Although the combination of colors reflects the artist’s imagination and not nature, the
variety of patterns does reveal Andean ideas about camelid markings.
The domesticated alpacas and llamas, as well as the wild vicuñas, were categorized
by patterning and coloration. The complex system of classification and color-coding,
which reached its epitome during the Inka period, dictated which types of camelids
were to be sacrificed during specific rituals and calendrical periods.
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