into them; instead, the pattern was painted on the surface.
During this period ornamentation was an important part of
textile production. Pieces of cloth with colorful, decorative
borders and with embroidery have been found at burial sites
from this era.
Stylistic developments can fi rst be discerned in the
Chavín culture. Th e weaving from this era represents not
only abstract, geometric patterns but images of animals
as well: jaguars, snakes, alligators, and birds. Many of the
Chavín pieces depict the feline god, who appeared in textiles
as early as 1200–700 b.c.e. Th e feline god was prominent in
this civilization, and its presence remained throughout sub-
sequent cultures in Peruvian histor y. Th e presence of this god
indicates the strong religious signifi cance of these pieces.
During this period the god was oft en represented in pro-
fi le, but with its body depicted frontally. Later pieces, such as
a burial cloth from around 300–100 b.c.e., represent animals
in what we would consider a much more realistic or recogniz-
able manner. Th is technique should not be mistaken for a de-
velopment related only to the passage of time. In other words,
stylistic representation did not become more realistic as time
passed; later periods also occasionally used very schematic or
abstract modes of representation.
In the Paracas Period (ca. 900 b.c.e.–ca. 300 c.e.) extraor-
d i n a r y a nd c olor f u l t e x t i le s we re s t i l l bu r ie d i n g r ave sit e s. B ot h
the quantity and the quality of the textiles of this period are a
testament to the apparent value of this kind of production in
the Paracas Period. In addition, new mythical and religious
beings were introduced. As in other pantheistic societies, gods
were designated to control various aspects of human life, such
as agriculture or fertility. Such gods were represented on tex-
tiles, perhaps as off erings of appeasement. Such representa-
tions help us to understand the culture of this period as well;
for example, the presence of an agriculture god in textiles in-
dicates that agriculture was being practiced by ancient South
Americans in Peru, and it was probably a signifi cant part of
their diet (relative to hunting and fi shing, for example).
Certain prehistoric Native North American groups, par-
ticularly in the East and the Southeast, made for their elites
elaborate burials, which are where most ancient textile re-mains have been excavated. Many of these sites have been
excavated and might off er clues regarding ancient textile
production. Conclusions about tapestries and other forms
of textiles must be made based on evidence available from
garments. While such hypotheses may be less precise, such a
study can at least provide information about what methods of
textile production these civilizations used.
Artifacts from Late Archaic (ca. 3000 b.c.e.–ca. 1000
b.c.e.) excavations in what we now consider the southeastern
United States have yielded small pieces of fabric. Th rough ex-
amination of these pieces, we have learned that early North
Americans made both interlaced and woven cloth. Unfortu-
nately, it is not possible to know what purposes these samples
may have served outside of the burial context.
From the Adena culture (ca. 1000 b.c.e.–ca. 200 b.c.e.)
archaeologists have found more woven textiles. Th ese fabrics
in particular have revealed that during that era the Adena
people employed several diff erent methods of weaving. Al-
though many of these samples are items of adornment, such
as headdresses, sandals, and skirts, woven cloth was also used
to wrap other buried objects. Th ese examples disprove any
speculations that such early endeavors would have resulted in
crude or unskilled production. On the contrary, archaeolo-
gists working in Adena sites have discovered cloth of very fi ne
and delicate construction.
Th ere is a disappointing lack of information from Me-
soamerica during the ancient era. Th e earliest civilization
that has been studied by archaeologists, historians, and art
historians is the Olmec (ca. 1500 b.c.e.–ca. 400 b.c.e.). Th ey
inhabited the Gulf Coast region in Mexico, a particularly
damp and swampy environment. Even generally durable
stone artworks and architecture are rare, compared with
that of other, later cultures. Th e Olmec civilization remains
relatively unknown and has left us with more questions
than answers.
However, before the Olmec, other traces of human life
have been found, t hough information is sketchy at best. In t he
arid Tehuacán valley in central Mexico, archaeologists have
found burial sites containing cloth samples made from cotton
as well as human remains wrapped in woven blankets. AsideMantle border fragment made of cotton and camelid hair, fi rst to second century c.e., Peru (Copyright the Metropolitan Museum of Art)1084 textiles and needlework: The Americas0895-1194_Soc&Culturev4(s-z).i1084 1084 10/10/07 2:31:00 PM