Border Fragment
100 B.C./A.D. 200
Paracas South coast, Peru
Peru
The distinctive stylized figure depicted on this fragment has wide eyes and an upturned mouth, with streamers or appendages trailing from its body. Scholars have named this figure the “oculate being” because of its wide eyes. However, it remains a matter of debate whether the figure represents a particular supernatural entity or a stylized figural representation.
Cotton, plain weave; embroidered with wool (camelid) in stem stitches