| It was the Andean Indian cultures of ancient Peru who | | | | The study of Spanish chronicles and ancient Peruvian |
| produced the most accomplished weaving in | | | | pottery inform us that the weaving was generally |
| pre-Columbian America. The technique of Tapestry | | | | done by greatly skilled women. Such was their skill that |
| weaving among these peoples dates back to the | | | | some of the relics discovered have been found with |
| beginning of the Christian Era, and was well established | | | | 150 to 250 weft threads per square inch. Most of the |
| by the 6th and 7th century. Tapestry was used to | | | | tapestries are polychrome as the use of natural dyes |
| decorate garments and was often integral to the | | | | made for a vast range of colors. Strong colours were |
| fabric itself. Surprisingly, due to the dry desert climate, a | | | | favored over more subtle graded tones, especially in |
| number of these weavings survived in Peruvian | | | | the Inca period. The designs were often of geometric |
| coastal burial sites. Examination of these relics reveals | | | | patterns, or human and animal figures. Plant motifs |
| some of the most skilled and varied techniques of | | | | were uncommon. |
| weaving ever present in any culture. | | | | |