﻿Vol.2] 
  ANDEAN 
  HIGHLANDS 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  29 
  

  

  evidence 
  for 
  its 
  pre-Inca 
  antiquity. 
  The 
  Inca 
  spread 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   bronze 
  to 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  their 
  Empire. 
  

  

  Metallurgy 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  few 
  crafts 
  which 
  show 
  any 
  major 
  techno- 
  

   logical 
  advancement 
  throughout 
  the 
  archeological 
  history. 
  With 
  a 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  only 
  gold 
  and 
  silver, 
  metalwork 
  was 
  at 
  first 
  limited 
  to 
  

   the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  ornaments. 
  Later, 
  pure 
  copper 
  tools 
  were 
  made 
  

   and 
  their 
  edges 
  hardened 
  by 
  hammering. 
  The 
  efficiency 
  of 
  tools 
  

   increased 
  with 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  alloys 
  of 
  copper-arsenic, 
  copper-silver, 
  

   and 
  ultimately 
  copper-tin. 
  

  

  Weaving. 
  — 
  Skilled 
  weaving 
  is 
  an 
  ancient 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  

   Central 
  Andean 
  pattern. 
  Unlike 
  metallurgy, 
  the 
  weaving 
  craft 
  shows 
  

   no 
  major 
  trend 
  of 
  technological 
  achievement. 
  Instead, 
  time 
  and 
  

   place 
  differences 
  in 
  woven 
  materials 
  were 
  based 
  on 
  selection 
  or 
  pref- 
  

   erence 
  for 
  certain 
  techniques 
  and 
  color 
  combinations, 
  rather 
  than 
  on 
  

   lack 
  of 
  knowledge. 
  This 
  can 
  be 
  briefly 
  illustrated. 
  All 
  periods 
  uti- 
  

   lized 
  the 
  same 
  basic 
  materials 
  for 
  spinning, 
  namely, 
  cotton, 
  wool, 
  

   maguey 
  fiber, 
  and 
  human 
  hair. 
  Likewise, 
  the 
  spindle 
  was 
  essentially 
  

   the 
  same, 
  although 
  clay 
  whorls 
  were 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  Early 
  Periods 
  

   and 
  copper 
  whorls 
  later. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  finest 
  thread 
  known 
  in 
  Peru 
  

   was 
  spun 
  in 
  the 
  Early 
  Periods. 
  Wool 
  threads 
  were 
  skillfully 
  dyed, 
  

   and 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  colors 
  was 
  employed 
  throughout. 
  The 
  loom 
  was 
  

   always 
  the 
  simple 
  girdle-back 
  type, 
  although 
  there 
  is 
  some 
  evidence 
  

   of 
  a 
  rare, 
  wide-frame 
  loom 
  in 
  the 
  Early 
  Paracas 
  Period. 
  The 
  simple 
  

   weave 
  swords, 
  heddles, 
  shuttles, 
  weave 
  daggers, 
  and 
  other 
  imple- 
  

   ments 
  show 
  no 
  major 
  changes. 
  The 
  textiles 
  of 
  the 
  Early 
  Periods 
  on 
  

   the 
  South 
  Coast 
  illustrate 
  practically 
  all 
  the 
  weaving 
  techniques 
  

   known 
  in 
  Peru. 
  

  

  Each 
  period 
  and 
  region 
  emphasized 
  certain 
  techniques, 
  although 
  

   these 
  were 
  no 
  f 
  » 
  original 
  inventions. 
  In 
  the 
  Early 
  Nazca 
  and 
  Paracas 
  

   Periods, 
  ovei-all 
  embroidery 
  and 
  needle 
  knitting 
  were 
  common, 
  and 
  

   tapestry 
  was 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  secondary 
  design 
  device. 
  In 
  the 
  Tiahuanaco 
  

   Middle 
  Periods, 
  large, 
  complicated 
  tapestries 
  were 
  typical, 
  knitting 
  

   was 
  still 
  common, 
  and 
  embroidery 
  rare. 
  Embroidery 
  was 
  again 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  in 
  the 
  Late 
  Periods, 
  although 
  not 
  of 
  the 
  over-all 
  type. 
  Double 
  

   cloth, 
  painted 
  cloth, 
  and 
  tie-dye 
  were 
  popular, 
  and 
  the 
  preweave 
  warp 
  

   dyeing 
  technique 
  called 
  ikat 
  was 
  a 
  specialty 
  of 
  the 
  Late 
  Periods. 
  The 
  

   Inca 
  Periods 
  were 
  characterized 
  by 
  tapestries, 
  reps, 
  and 
  warp 
  patterns. 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  an 
  enormous 
  quantity 
  of 
  weaving 
  in 
  pre-Columbian 
  

   times. 
  However, 
  almost 
  every 
  piece 
  achieved 
  a 
  high 
  weaving 
  stand- 
  

   ard, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  complexities 
  of 
  technique 
  and 
  the 
  intricacies 
  of 
  

   design. 
  Undoubtedly, 
  there 
  were 
  specialized 
  weavers, 
  but 
  many 
  indi- 
  

   viduals 
  managed 
  to 
  acquire 
  supreme 
  skill. 
  On 
  one 
  Early 
  Mochica 
  

   Period 
  vessel, 
  a 
  weaving 
  factory 
  is 
  portrayed 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   female 
  weavers 
  are 
  at 
  work 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  a 
  supervisor. 
  In 
  

   Inca 
  times, 
  all 
  commoners 
  wove 
  their 
  own 
  clothing, 
  but 
  specialized 
  

  

  