Page 594 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

the entire width of the shirt—that is, they were forthcoming). Sacsahuaman was a sun temple as The key-checkerboard motif is the major design
woven sideways, with the warp in the short direc- well as a military structure. on a number of Inka tunics (see A. Rowe 1978, 7;
tion, and then folded over and bound up the sides, The V-shaped stepped yoke design, composed J. Rowe 1979, 248-251); it is a motif on cat. 451.
leaving spaces for the armholes (A. Rowe 1978, of squares and woven into the tunic, is known by Usually the key motif is repeated on the upper
5; J. Rowe 1979, 239-241). A slot at the neck was the Quechua name awaqui (Zuidema, forthcom- two thirds of the garment, while the lower third is
woven in with discontinuous warps. With the ing). Like many other checkerboard tunics, this plain or striped as is this one. Two examples are
tunic, men wore a breechcloth and a cloak. Gar- one has a zigzag design sewn at the bottom, a miniatures, perhaps made for offerings or as gar-
ments were not tailored but were woven to the motif seen also in Guaman Poma's illustrations. ments for small figures (see cats. 442, 448). In
form of the object desired. The gold beads at the neck slit of this example the Guaman Poma manuscript, only variant key-
Tunics with a checkerboard design were used by may indicate that it was a royal garment. checkerboards appear (1980).
Inka army officers as military garments. Guaman Usually of interlocked tapestry, the checker- In the Andes special garments were worn on
Poma de Ayala illustrated these tunics on military board-patterned tunics have alpaca warps (see ceremonial occasions. Royal rites involved fre-
officers and royal escorts of the conquest period A. Rowe 1978, 7; }. Rowe 1979, 239-243). Some quent change of dress; the Inka ruler was said
(1980; see also J. Rowe 1979, 242-243; Zuidema, fifteen checkerboard-patterned tunics are known, never to wear the same garment twice (Garcilaso
forthcoming). A tunic with a checkerboard lower most of them from the south coast. de la Vega 1966, 314; Murra 1962, 719). Cloth,
half is worn in a September ritual (Guaman Poma This garment was found at Los Majuelos, Rio woven into garments and accessories, was of
1980, 226 [ms 252]). Grande de Nazca. Preservation conditions are extraordinary value and prestige. It was wealth;
Checkerboard garments also appear in earlier better on the dry coast than in the highlands, and it was sacred; it was a major offering to the gods.
cultures, not in scenes of warfare but in connec- virtually all extant Inka textiles have come from Some images of the sun were made of thick blan-
tion with specific rites or myths. The significance this region. E.P.B. kets; other images were of gold, dressed in cloth-
of the motif varied in different cultures. Tunics ing of wool and gold thread. The mummy bundles
with checkerboard patterns incorporating Spanish of sacred ancestors were taken out on occasion
colonial motifs remain from colonial times. and given new garments and offerings. Cloth was
The checkerboard design was known in Que- exchanged at royal wedding rites, and the royal
chua as qolqanpata ("hill of terraces with store- 450 couple walked through streets covered with color-
houses''); in an illustration in Guaman Poma's ful cloth. Cloth was a royal gift to create or
manuscript, the composition of the stone store- TUNIC reinforce bonds of loyalty, to reward those who
houses (qolqas) belonging to the Inka state resem- had distinguished themselves in battle, or to be
bles a checkerboard pattern (1980, 309 [ms 335]). Ink a presented in diplomatic exchanges. Because tunics
Qolqanpata was also a name given to the hill wool and cotton were widely disseminated in this way, they are
above Cuzco and below the impressive stone for- 92 x 79.2 (}6V4 x jiVs) unlikely to have been made in the area in which
tress of Sacsahuaman was located (Zuidema, Staatliches Museum fur Volkerkunde, Munich they were found (A. Rowe 1978, 6; Morris 1988,

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