April 2–August 18, 2019 | This installation examines the relationship between two components of the Andean woven world: tunics and khipus.
Presented alongside the special exhibition, Written in Knots: Undeciphered Accounts of Andean Life, this installation examines the relationship between two components of the Andean woven world: tunics and khipus. Although different in function—tunics were worn as clothing and khipus encoded and transported information—both types of textiles are made of the same materials, produced through many of the same techniques, and tell stories about their owners. The luxurious Wari and Inka tunics on display project the worldviews and ritual behavior of each society’s most powerful social actors.