Miniature Belt

Inca weavers produced high-quality miniature textiles to adorn male and female gold and silver figurines that were buried as offerings during important religious ceremonies, such as the capacocha, a sacred Inca ritual that took place on mountains, islands, and other revered places called wakas (see photograph).

The textiles displayed here are female garments, and they have the same form and decoration as the full-size examples made for the Inca elite. Notice a variant of the Inca key motif (a repeating pattern of diagonal bars and squares) on the red mantle with a central black band that is also featured on one of the full-size tunics. The miniature garments employ the typical Inca colors of red, green, yellow, and black, and are finished with embroidered edges.

The discovery of well-preserved textile assemblages on devotional figurines has expanded our knowledge of Inca women’s dress and its various components.