In昀椀nite Pattern: Weaving in the Ancient Andes Joanne Pillsbury In 1572, Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, a Spanish colo- which in turn can have their own subsidiary cords (昀椀g. 1). nial administrator in Peru, completed his of昀椀cial history The position, type, and color of each knot in these cords of the Inca Empire, which had been defeated some forty encodes information readable by a khipukamayuq, or years earlier by Spanish forces. The largest pre-Hispanic khipu specialist (昀椀g. 2). empire known in the Americas, the Inca themselves had Khipus were part of an exceptional 昀椀ber arts tradition conquered much of western South America by the early that evolved over millennia in the ancient Andes. Fiber- sixteenth century. In his text, Sarmiento remarked upon a based technology was foundational to administration device composed of multiple colored, twisted, and knotted (as seen with khipus), transportation (as seen with rope cords known as a khipu, which the Inca used to convey bridges), and warfare (as seen with slingshots). Moreover, information such as accounts and even narratives across textiles had symbolic importance and were unparalleled as time and space: “It is remarkable to see the details that a medium for the expression of identity, value, and belief. In they preserve in these cordlets, for which there are mas- the Inca period (1470–1532), they were deployed as diplo- 1 2 ters as there are for writing among us.” Khipus include a matic gifts and formed part of nearly every sacri昀椀ce. Cloth primary cord from which are suspended pendant cords, was also closely associated with social identity, be it age, gender, or regional origin. The Inca royal crown itself was 3 a red wool fringe. Highly valued in the pre-Hispanic past, ancient Peruvian textiles also later served as a creative springboard for artists in the twentieth century. Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Inca artist. Khipu. Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, or Chile, Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala (Andean, ca. 1535–after 1615). Storehouses 15th–16th century. Cotton, 30 × 30 in. (76.2 × 76.2 cm). of the Inca, from El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno, ca. 1615. Pen and ink. Buffalo Museum of Science Royal Danish Library, Copenhagen (Gl. kgl. S. 2232, 4º; fol. 169v) 7