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

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Motifs from a Garment
Double-Headed Snake or Worm
Central Coast culture (Chancay?)
AD 1000-1476
Camelid wool; plain weave (traces), embroidery
2½" long (each)
These individually embroidered motifs would have embellished a plain-woven
garment (traces of the brown-and-red ground fabric are still evident). Each figure
is patterned with a typical central coast scroll design, and although standardized, each
reveals minute differences. Subtle shifts in the red/yellow/brown color scheme would
have imparted a rhythmic quality to the overall design of the textile.
The double-headedness of the serpentine creature is an ancient visual convention, but
the shortened bodies are less common, and may represent another type of legless reptile
or invertebrate, such as a species of worm or caterpillar.
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