essay

Ecology and society in embroidered images from the Paracas Necropolis

paracas art & architecture : object and context in south coastal peruIowa CityPublished In 1991 • Pages: 240-314

By: Peters, Ann H. (Ann Hudson).

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Peters examined the designs on the Paracas textiles in an attempt to find meanings in their design, and how the clues to the weavers’ relationships to the social and natural realms might reflect a common worldview. The focus is on the animal and plant elements in the imagery. Also, there is also an exploration of the differences in ceramics between the early and late subtraditions: Paracas Cavernas, aligned with the neighboring Ica Valley sequence; and Paracas Necrópolis, an extension of the northern Topará subtradition. The textiles, likewise represent the two different subtraditions. Discussion centers on Topará block color textiles from Necropolis burial bundles. Most images of flora and fauna are a melding of species, with few economically important species shown. In fact, the species depicted appear to represent competitors with humans in the hunt and/or collaborators in the control of pests around settlements, with the implication that both such creatures and the senior men buried with the most, and most elaborate, textiles, operated as mediators between culture and nature, simultaneously capable of moving between realms of land, sea and air.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Fauna
Flora
Tillage
Woven and other interworked fabrics
Visual arts
Burial practices and funerals
Ethnobotany
Ethnozoology
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Coastal Andean Late Formative
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2015
RegionThe area the document pertains to
South America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central Andes
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypesThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Textile Analyst
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Sarah Berry; 2012
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
no date
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
2300-1750 BP (300 BC-AD 250)
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
southern Cañete province, Lima region, and Ica region, Peru
NotesAdditional notes
Ann H. Peters
For bibliographical references see document 19: Paul (1991, References cited)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
91016740
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Andes Region--Antiquities