The Inca

The Inca brought together a number of styles and techniques from groups they conquered. They also promoted Chimú and Chancay textiles; perhaps this is why so many contemporary Andean textile designs can be traced back to the Chimú. Textiles were very important in Inca culture. There was no specific form of currency, but textiles were used in ritualized gift giving, and generals received their salaries in textiles. The Inca did not have a written language, but rather recorded information in cloth quipus and expressed ideas through textile iconography.