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Nasca

Warrior Fragments

100 B.C./A.D. 200
Cotton, simple looping ground; wool (camelid) cross-knit looping and cross-knit loop stitch embroidery
6.4 × 5.7 cm (2.5 × 2.2 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Although small in scale, these figures--likely fragments from a border attached to the edge of a solid-colored plain woven textile--potently convey the Nazca worldview. All but one appears as a warrior in elaborate costume. The unadorned figure wears only a loincloth and has an inverted head and partially exposed ribcage, details that indicate that he is a captive intended for sacrifice. The Nazca offered blood, the most sacred substance of life, to honor the supernatural forces governing the natural world, thus insuring good weather and a good harvest.

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