Poncho Displaying Contorted Figures c. 100 - 200

This poncho displaying contorted figures was made by the Paracas people of Peru. Textiles were of huge cultural significance to the Paracas. They tell us about the ways of life and religious beliefs of a society that left no written records. This poncho likely belonged to someone of high status. You can see how the image creates meaning through visual codes. It’s full of abstracted human and animal figures, and demonstrates their artistic skill and the value they placed on the creation of complex textiles. The contorted figures that populate it are understood by researchers to depict shamans undergoing ritual transformation. Historical research into the iconography of Paracas textiles helps us understand how this art played a key role in defining social roles and religious ideas. By looking closely at the imagery and knowing something of its context, we can begin to understand the social structures of this ancient time.