Poncho

Colorful ikat-patterned bands create optical effects that dance across this fringed poncho from the highlands of Ecuador. Warp-ikat patterned textiles produced in the Andes region of South America exemplify cultural continuity from past to present. Pre-Columbian warp ikat fabrics have been found preserved in tombs in the Peruvian Andes, and the technique was probably practiced contemporaneously in neighboring areas.

Pre-Columbian textiles seem to have informed modern garments like this Ecuadorian poncho. The poncho, worn over trousers and a shirt, is a modern replacement for the more ancient tunic, a quintessential component of highlands men's dress.