Paracas burial cloak

Dated: 100[BCE] -200

Cultural Context: Paracas Necropolis style. South Coast

Origin: Peru

Medium: Camelid fibres

Technique: Plain 1x1 fabric. Embroidery, needle embroidery

Dimensions: Height: 284 cm; Width: 150 cm

Inventory no.: 14659

Rectangular full cloak made of a black fabric base with embroidered decorations. The iconography displayed on the cloak repeats alternating serpent-shaped figures topped with faces of the so-called "Oculate Being" and "Oculate Feline", both typical of early Paracas mantles.

This decoration runs all the way around the cloak in a wide band with fringes, and it is also found in narrower bands that cross the central field of the mantle. The colours are very well preserved: black, red, yellow and dark green. The size of the garment and the fact that there are no apparent traces of use suggest that this piece may have been specially made for the funeral proceedings of a significant figure within the community.

The cloak is part of the Paracas funerary or “mummy” bundle on display in the Museum of the Americas.

See funerary bundle, Paracas