Paracas Cloak

Full rectangular cloak, made of a flat-knitted weave with embroidered decoration. The border was created following stages organised in successive units. For example, the long edges of the cloak correspond to units which were embroidered before the shorter edges. In the centre, each design strip has been embroidered independently. It is clearly an example of the organisation of work that was typical for these cloaks and demonstrates the importance that the manufacture of this type of cloak had for Paracas societies. According to Jiménez (Tradición de Tradiciones: Tejidos prehispánicos y virreinales en el Museo de América de Madrid. 2009), the size of the garment and the fact that it has no obvious traces of being used, suggests this piece could have been specifically made for a funerary purpose for an important figure in the community. The iconography depicted on the cloak revolves around alternate snaked-shaped figures with faces of the so-called “ocular being” or “ocular feline”, both typical of the early Paracas cloaks.