Ceremonial mantle with representations of supernatural beings with appendages emerging from their bodies

The exquisitely embroidered designs that decorate Paracas mantles represent mythological beings whose appearance combines attributes of human beings, of animals and supernatural creatures, such as the appendages that resemble serpentine bodies. These figures, some of which persist in Nasca art, are part of a complex symbolic system related to the transformation of humans after death. The excavations in the cemeteries of Cerro Colorado in the Paracas Peninsula, led by Julio C. Tello between 1925 and 1930, unveiled one of the most important textile traditions of the pre-Hispanic period. More than 420 funerary bundles were recovered from the Wari Kayán Necropolis, some of which contained more than fifty objects, including wrapping mantles, turbans, tunics and other items. The findings were presented in hugely influential local and international exhibitions organized by the Peruvian archaeological museum. The objects kept by the Museo de Arte de Lima were acquired by Javier Prado Ugarteche before these official discoveries, as a result of informal excavations carried out in the southern coast. (CP)