Inka

This image of the Inka ruler symbolizes the Inka’s power and authority. The figure has been woven in Ccachin, an Andean community in the Cusco region for more than 100 years, and has been passed on from one generation to another. The figure represents a nostalgic view of the past.

In Choquecancha, a community in Cusco, the Inka design is called atun pallay. The design was probably inspired by illustrations in reproductions of Guaman Poma de Ayala’s Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno (early 17th century).

This design is also woven in Quishuarani, another community in the Cusco region, where it also represents the ideas of authority and a glorious past (Proyecto Corredor Puno-Cusco 2005). Vidal de Milla (2000) argues that the figure of the Inca may be accompanied by additional symbols of his power and influence including a scepter, building constructions, and a ruk’y (the symbol of a weaver) (Vidal de Milla 2000).

References Cited

Proyecto Corredor Puno-Cusco (2005). Rescate e Interpretación de la Iconografía Textil de las Comunidades de Ccachin, Ccollana, Choquecancha, Quishuarani, y Rosaspata. Calca, Peru: FIDA, Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola.

Vidal de Milla, Delia (2000). El arte textil: simbolismo de los motivos decorativos. Cusco: Municipalidad Provincial.