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Chancay

Fragment

1000/1476
Cotton and wool (camelid), bands of weft faced plain weave, and slit tapestry weave with wrapping outlining wefts
41 × 40.3 cm (16.1 × 15.9 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

The quality and variety of Chancay textiles, which include both woven and painted designs, demonstrate the importance of the medium to this culture. Here, rows of venomous scorpions scurry across wide yellow bands. The Chancay associated these nocturnal arachnids with death, war, and the supernatural, and they may allude to the power of ruling warriors.

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