Shamans, Supernaturals & Animal Spirits: Mythic Figures from the Ancient Andes, Volume 2

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Shaped Sash or Votive Panel (partially complete)
Mythical Fox
Pukara style, Southern Highlands
200 BC-AD 200
Camelid wool (warp and weft); tapestry weave
5" x 8½"
Asmall body of inventively shaped tapestry weavings has
been instrumental in defining the Pukara textile style,
which is considered to be influential in the development of
Tiwanaku art. They are believed to have been found at some
distance from the Pukara ceremonial zone north of Lake
Titicaca, however—either in the western highlands, the south
coast or the upper coastal valleys of the Arequipa region. Only
some half-dozen pieces are documented, which are among the
most innovative and puzzling textiles in the Andean tradition.
The textiles are also recognized for being the earliest evidence
of the use of the interlocking tapestry technique, which became
the foundation of the Wari tunic style. 1
The panels are of unknown purpose, and were possibly made
as talismans or accessories worn as part of a ceremonial or
ritual ensemble. The imagery suggests they were associated
with trophy-head cult activities and beliefs.
The textiles, which resemble two-dimensional reliefs or
sculptural plinths executed in cloth, represent a striking
synthesis of form and image. The contoured weavings, entirely
selvedged on all sides, outline the forms of mythical figures
or animals. Details such as feet, hands, face and staffs or spears
project into space. The curvilinear, irregular shape reflects the
use of a single continuous warp, although whether this was
determined by the shape of the loom or some other approach
is not clear (see Conklin 1983 for technical analysis).
This panel is only partially intact but can be compared to
another extant, complete version. 2 Although the head is
missing, the upright brushy tail appears to belong to a fox. In
highland lore, the canid is actually regarded as the “younger
brother" of the puma, but it has its own specific mythological
associations within the feline symbolic complex. In the related
piece, moreover, the animal is depicted holding a spear and
ferrying a severed head (embellished with real human hair) in
its mouth. Fortunately, one dramatic detail from that image is
still preserved here, i.e., the headless, naked body of the victim
draped over the rump of the predator.
Ferocity is implicit, and this fox is evidently a supernatural
sacrificer or agent of death. The skeletal ribs drawn on the
prone human figure typically also denote shamanic beings, as
well as the dead (especially in Early Nasca iconography, which
seems to have ties to Pukara). The bones apparently signal the
altered or transcendent state brought about by a ritual killing.
The peculiar addition of an open beak to the stump of the
victim’s neck, conjuring a stylized bird head, underscores this
message.
The male victim appears to be a defeated enemy (ironically,
he, too, carries severed heads in both hands). The pointed tip
of an arrow or dart (top right) is the only surviving element
from the “captured" bundle of weapons depicted on other
versions. This theme appears elsewhere in Pukara imagery, a
strong indication that ethnic conflict played a role in the rise
of this highland culture.
1 William Conklin, "Pucara and Tiahuanaco Tapestry: Time and Style in a Sierra
Weaving Tradition," Nawpa Pacha 21, (1983).
2 Margaret Young-Sanchez, ed., Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inkas (2004) 39-40: Fig 2.21.
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