﻿242 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  Cloth. 
  — 
  Three 
  grades 
  of 
  cloth 
  were 
  made, 
  each 
  distinguished 
  by 
  a 
  

   Quechua 
  name. 
  The 
  coarsest 
  (cosi), 
  which 
  had 
  weft 
  threads 
  as 
  much 
  

   as 
  % 
  inch 
  (1 
  cm.) 
  in 
  diameter, 
  was 
  used 
  only 
  for 
  blankets. 
  The 
  cloth 
  

   used 
  for 
  ordinary 
  clothing 
  was 
  called 
  awasqa, 
  ' 
  'woven 
  material". 
  

   The 
  finest 
  cloth 
  (qompi) 
  was 
  finished 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  and 
  woven 
  in 
  

   many 
  colors 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  small 
  bobbins 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  

   bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  11). 
  A 
  comparison 
  of 
  these 
  data 
  from 
  the 
  chroniclers 
  

   with 
  the 
  few 
  known 
  examples 
  of 
  Highland 
  weaving 
  of 
  Inca 
  date 
  sug- 
  

   gests 
  certain 
  interesting 
  correlations. 
  The 
  ordinary 
  cloth 
  found 
  in 
  

   ancient 
  graves 
  in 
  the 
  Cuzco 
  region 
  is 
  almost 
  all 
  warp-face 
  plain 
  cloth, 
  

   usually 
  without 
  design, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  decorated 
  with 
  warp 
  stripes 
  

   or 
  with 
  geometric 
  patterns 
  made 
  by 
  adding 
  threads 
  of 
  different 
  colors 
  

   to 
  the 
  warp 
  and 
  inserting 
  the 
  weft 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  that 
  the 
  extra 
  warp 
  

   threads 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  only 
  where 
  their 
  colors 
  are 
  needed 
  in 
  the 
  

   pattern 
  (Early 
  and 
  Late 
  Inca 
  textiles 
  from 
  Ausangate 
  and 
  Yucay 
  in 
  

   the 
  University 
  Museum, 
  Cuzco). 
  Most 
  other 
  known 
  Inca 
  pieces 
  

   are 
  done 
  in 
  a 
  fine 
  tapestry 
  weave, 
  using 
  more 
  colors 
  than 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   pieces, 
  and 
  finished 
  on 
  both 
  sides. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  fine 
  Colonial 
  pieces 
  

   showing 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  Inca 
  and 
  Spanish 
  styles 
  are 
  also 
  tapestry 
  weave, 
  

   sometimes 
  with 
  added 
  embroidery. 
  (University 
  Museum 
  collection, 
  

   Cuzco; 
  Bandelier, 
  1910, 
  pis. 
  62, 
  69; 
  Means, 
  1917, 
  pis. 
  16, 
  17; 
  

   Crawford, 
  1916, 
  figs. 
  8, 
  9, 
  and 
  pp. 
  121-122.) 
  The 
  conclusion 
  is 
  

   almost 
  unavoidable 
  that 
  the 
  cloth 
  called 
  awasqa 
  by 
  the 
  Inca 
  was 
  

   warp-face 
  plain 
  cloth 
  with 
  pattern 
  in 
  the 
  warp, 
  and 
  that 
  qompi 
  was 
  

   tapestry-weave 
  material. 
  (See 
  also 
  Means, 
  1931, 
  p. 
  478.) 
  

  

  Tapestry 
  weaving 
  was 
  done 
  well 
  into 
  the 
  17th 
  century, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  

   later, 
  but 
  then 
  began 
  to 
  decline, 
  and 
  seems 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  practiced 
  by 
  

   hand-loom 
  weavers 
  in 
  southern 
  Peru 
  today. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  

   the 
  warp-faced, 
  warp-pattern 
  technique 
  is 
  now 
  universal, 
  and 
  the 
  

   modern 
  pieces 
  are 
  very 
  much 
  more 
  elaborate 
  than 
  the 
  old 
  ones. 
  As 
  

   in 
  most 
  other 
  aspects 
  of 
  Indian 
  culture, 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  suppressed 
  the 
  

   luxury 
  arts 
  and 
  the 
  civilization 
  of 
  the 
  nobility, 
  but 
  the 
  folk 
  arts 
  re- 
  

   mained 
  vigorous 
  and 
  have 
  preserved 
  their 
  old 
  traditions 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  

   present. 
  As 
  the 
  technique 
  of 
  weaving 
  qompi 
  fell 
  into 
  disuse, 
  the 
  

   special 
  vertical 
  frame 
  on 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  woven 
  disappeared. 
  Modern 
  

   looms 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  belt 
  and 
  horizontal 
  types 
  or 
  are 
  of 
  European 
  origin. 
  

  

  The 
  Inca 
  made 
  two 
  other 
  varieties 
  of 
  cloth 
  by 
  adding 
  feathers 
  and 
  

   metals 
  superficially 
  to 
  the 
  woven 
  material. 
  The 
  feather 
  cloth 
  was 
  

   particularly 
  fine. 
  Cobo 
  emphasizes 
  the 
  small 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  feathers 
  

   inserted 
  in 
  the 
  weft 
  while 
  weaving 
  qompi. 
  No 
  feather 
  pieces 
  of 
  

   positive 
  Inca 
  date 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  exist, 
  but 
  beautiful 
  examples 
  of 
  the 
  

   technique 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  Coastal 
  graves 
  (Means, 
  1931, 
  frontis- 
  

   piece). 
  Ornamentation 
  with 
  figures 
  cut 
  from 
  paper-thin 
  sheets 
  of 
  

   hammered 
  gold 
  and 
  silver 
  sewn 
  on 
  the 
  cloth 
  in 
  patterns 
  (*chaquira) 
  was 
  

  

  