Ceremonial textile

This textile is a good example of the production of the Chimú workshops at the zenith of this coastal state. The piece was woven in a technique characteristic of the northern coast –slit tapestry (kelim)– using natural white cotton fibers and dyed camelid yarn. The motifs represent one of the supernatural deities of more relevance in the imperial Chimor iconography, identifiable for bearing a helmet with a large half moon. In the weave, the deity is surrounded by marine animals, fish and birds. The intensification of trade between the highlands, the coast and along the coast had a direct repercussion in the textile production in the coast, for example, in spreading in the use of camelid fibers and some dyes of difficult access. (KM)