'8 



riih: iM'As 



of civilization on tliis continent in |)rcliistoric times. I'nlike the Mexi- 

 cans lio\ve\'er. they had no written hin«;ua^('. They were tiUers of tlie 

 soil and I'aised maize, potatoes, oca. (luiniia. neans, coca and cotton. 

 'I'iie Incas domesticated the llama, which was used as a beast of burden. 

 They excelled in the manufacture and decoration of pottery vessels, in 

 metalwoi'k, and in textile fabi'ic^. In the case dii'cclly in front of the 

 entrance are (lis])laye(l <j!;old and silver objects such as 

 beads, cu])s, ))ins and earrinjis which show the hi^h decree 

 of skill attaine(l in the beatin^i, soldering and casting of 

 n weavinu; they were })erha])s })reeminent among j)rehistoric 

 peoples, many of their specimens exhibited here being un- 

 surpassed at the present day. The materials used were 

 cotton and the wool of the llama, alpaca and vicuna. In the first cases 

 on the right are examples of these textiles with looms and shuttles. 

 [The musical instruments of ancient Peru are discussed in (iuide Leaflet 

 No. 11.1 



Gold and 

 Silver 



metals. 



Textiles 



PERUVIAN MUMMY BUNDLES AND MUMMY 



The ancient Pcruvian.s wrapped their tlead in fabrics of fine cotton and wool, tiien cov- 

 ering with a sack of stronn doth. Tiie inuniiny "hundh^" thvis prodnceti was often 

 given a "false head" of cloth filled with vcKctahle fibre. Climatic conditions in Peru 

 have preserved these inuininies and their wrai)i)in}rs durin>: many centuries 



