The Chavín civilization of Peru, which prospered from roughly 900 to 200 BCE, was one of the oldest in South America. With no written records, little is known about this society today, but evidence of its significance remains. Nestled in the Andean mountains between the jungles of Brazil and the Pacific coast, the sprawling stone temple complex of Chavín de Huántar, now a ruin, was once an important pilgrimage site for people throughout the region.
The Textile Museum Collection includes several fragments of Chavín-style textiles that were found in Karwa, on Peru’s southern coast. Pilgrims may have transported these large, decorated textiles from the Chavín center to help spread their religious message. Alternatively, these textiles might have been produced locally in Karwa by artisans who drew inspiration from the Chavín imagery encountered by religious travelers.
This fragment of painted plain-weave cotton features a unique design representing cotton plants, which may have been celebrated as a sacred material. The fragment is one of four surviving pieces that once made up a larger composition. The plant motifs would have formed the outer border, their snakelike roots adorned with human eyes. This blending of human, animal and inanimate characteristics is a hallmark of Chavín art.
The Chavín artistic style seen in these textiles — as well as in metalwork, pottery and in stone carvings at the temple — has had a profound influence on subsequent Andean cultures, with echoes of the combinations of human and animal features seen in the Wari and Tiwanaku cultures, which flourished from 600-1000 CE.
Researched by Jerrilynn Pudschun
Jerrilynn Pudschun has been a docent with the museum since 1998 after retiring from the U.S. Foreign Service. She had the pleasure of serving in places where textiles are a vital part of history, including Malaysia, France, Jerusalem and Turkey, among others.