200/500
Nazca South coast, Peru
Peru
This fragment, constructed with single interlocking warps and wefts, is composed of a pattern of over 20 step-frets rendered in 14 different colors. Nazca weavers are known for the wide range of colors employed in the production of their textiles. They achieved the various colors through dyeing and naturally colored yarns and by plying two different yarns together in order to produce additional colors. The irregularity of the pattern of the step frets displayed on this fragment may not reflect the original configuration of the design, as it may have been altered at a later date.
Wool (camelid) and cotton, plain weave of discontinuous single interlocking warps and wefts