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

299
Shaped Votive Panel
Pacific Bonito Tuna
Pachacamac-Rímac culture, Central Coast
AD 1000-1476
Cotton; interlocking and slit tapestry weave
7” x 18”
Literature
Reid 1993, 283.
Stone-Miller 1992b, plate 58.
The fish-shaped tapestry panels rank among the most innovative textiles developed
by central coast weavers living in the vicinity of the Pachacamac shrine.
Not surprisingly, the bonito tuna, which is highly noticeable in the offshore waters
feeding on giant shoals of Peruvian anchovies and crustaceans, was a common source
of artistic inspiration. This powerful fish was undoubtedly a prime symbol of oceanic
vitality and abundance.
With impressive powers of observation, the weavers deftly replicated the tuna’s conical
head, large mouth, torpedo form, arrow-shaped tail and dark, slanted stripes on the
upper body. Smaller fish pictured in its belly acknowledge the voracious pursuit and
consumption of its prey.
The X-ray style of representation, which exposes the fish’s backbone, seemingly draws
upon ancient shamanic art conventions.
And although there is no known cultural connection between them, there is an
intriguing visual, symbolic and technical resemblance between these unique Pachacamac
votive panels and the highland Pukara tradition of shaped weavings, such as the caimanfeatured
staff-bearer seen in cat. 141. That earlier image similarly emphasizes the bony
spine, which in Andean thought contained the very essence of life and regeneration.
284