Band Fragment
1000-1476
Medium
Slit tapestry
Dimensions
33.7 × 4.1 cm (13 1/4 × 1 5/8 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
84995
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Band Fragment* from the Tiwanaku culture (ca. 1000–1476 CE) offers a rare glimpse into the sophisticated textile artistry of the ancient Andes. Tiwanaku, a powerful pre-Inca civilization centered near Lake Titicaca in modern-day Bolivia, produced textiles that symbolized status, ritual, and cosmology. Measuring just 33.7 × 4.1 cm, this narrow band—likely part of a larger garment or ceremonial object—survived thanks to the dry Andean climate, making it a precious artifact in the Art Institute of Chicago's Textiles collection. Crafted in slit tapestry, a technique where weft yarn...