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THE PERUVIANS 



tinent in prehistoric times. Unlike the ancient peoples of Mexico and 

 Central America the Peruvians had no written language. They were 

 tillers of the soil and raised maize, potatoes, oca, quinua, beans, coca 

 and cotton. They had domesticated the llama, which was used as a beasl 

 of burden. They excelled in the manufacture and decoration of pottery 



PERUVIAN MUMMY BUNDLES AND MUMMY 



The ancient Peruvians wrapped their dead in fabrics of fine cotton and wool, then 

 covering with a sack of strong cloth. The mummy "bundle" thus produced was 

 often given a "false head" of cloth filled with cotton or vegetable fibre. Climatic 

 conditions in Peru have preserved the-e mummies and their wrappings during many 

 centuries. 



vessels, in metal work, and in textile fabrics. In the case directly in 

 Gold and front of the entrance are displayed gold and silver objects, 

 Silver such as beads, cups, pins and ear ornaments, which show 



the high degree of skill attained in the beating, soldering and casting of 

 metals. In weaving they were perhaps preeminent among prehistoric 

 peoples, many of their specimens exhibited here being 

 unsurpassed 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 Guide Leaflet No. 1 1 , 



Textiles 



