Band

Art Historical Context

This exquisite woven band hails from the Chimú culture of Peru's north coast, created between 1250 and 1470 during the height of their empire, just before the Inca conquest. Measuring an impressive 184 cm long only 7.6 cm wide, it served likely as a decorative sash, headdress tie, or garment edging—common in Andean societies where textiles signified wealth and status. Crafted from cotton and fine camelid wool (from llamas or alpacas), its vibrant colors and patterns reflect the Chimú's mastery of fiber arts, rivaling their famed goldwork and adobe cities like Chan Chan. The band's slit tapestry weave technique is a hallmark of pre-Columbian Andean textiles: wefts of different colors are woven side-by-side without interlocking, creating crisp geometric motifs and slits that add texture and drama. Delicate wool tassels, wrapped and embroidered with chain stitches, dangle from the ends, enhancing its tactile appeal and ritual potential. This method allowed for bold, symbolic designs—often featuring stepped frets, zoomorphs, or mythical beings—encoding cultural narratives of cosmology and power. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Textiles department, this band offers a window into Chimú ingenuity, where weaving was a sacred, communal craft. Visitors, imagine draping it across your shoulders: a tangible link to a vanished world of sun-drenched deserts and masterful artisans.

About the Artist

Chimú

The Chimú, a preeminent pre-Columbian culture of Peru's northern coast, flourished from approximately 900 to 1470 CE as the Kingdom of Chimor, emerging in the wake of the Moche civilization's decline and incorporating influences from the Sican, Wari, and Cajamarca cultures. Centered in the vast adobe metropolis of Chan Chan—the largest city in the Americas before the Inca, housing up to 60,000 peo...