Balance

The precise twisting and knotting of fine cotton thread, seen here, reflects the long tradition of fishing-net production on the coast of Peru. Although the textile appears delicate, the uniform hand-tied mesh was intended to withstand weight. Chincha-area merchants under the control of the Inka Empire may have used balances to carefully measure elite raw materials, such as precious metals or shells, during Inka-supervised trades. This type of tool is very rare since there were no currency-based economies in Peru prior to the Spanish conquest.