Poncho

This poncho is made using a tapestry technique with cotton warp (yarn stretched on the loom) and wool weft, chosen because wool retains colour better than cotton. The sources of the pigments are vegetable (marigold for orange; the indigo plant and yangua for blues) and animal (cochineal insects for reds). The refinement of the yarn, the quality of the weaving and the bright colours together indicate that the garment was probably made for a person of high rank. Characteristic of the late Nasca period, the motifs represent a highly stylized supernatural being.