NOTES
Magenta pelicans soar across this mantle fragment, evoking the common sight of water birds familiar to inhabitants of the coastal Chimú Empire. The repetitive pattern suggests abundance and order, metaphors for imperial wealth. Although the yarns in this fragment are fine enough to allow for the birds to look realistic, the weaver created blocky imagery to emphasize woven warp and weft. The Chimú’s appreciation of textiles and their linear structure is evident on an architectural interior at the site Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimú Empire. In this case, pelicans were applied to the adobe building with exaggerated stepped forms in order to suggest that textiles are draped over the wall’s surface.
