Ornamentation in the Chincha plain-weave cloths analyzed for this study consists solely of stripes and plaids; an occasional edge finish is as much a strengthening device as a decorative detail. A few cloths are allover striped; a greater number are bordered on one edge with a series of colors, mainly yellow, browns, and blues.
The group as a whole represents the many fabrics which must have been woven solely for ordinary wear or use, being used later as grave wrappings.
(Numbers preceded by 4- and 16- are University of California Museum of Anthropology specimen-catalogue numbers.)
Chincha doll (4-4116) dressed in scrap of plain-weave material. Height overall, 7 inches. Head, a knob wrapped with fiber; black human hair folded over top and drawn in at neck with fiber string. Body composed of 2 tortoras separated to form legs; all elements wrapped with fiber and with one extra "toe" applied to each foot. Arms of wrapped tortora with fingers (3) applied at ends.
Garment of plain cotton material torn crosswise; fold at one side; lapped seam held with coarse stitches at opposite side; seam across shoulders; no openings for arms. Tatters at bottom edge turned to outside and secured with running stitches. Length 5¼ inches; breadth 7¼ inches.
Loomstring ends of Chincha fabrics, a, b, detail of ends of two webs (16-1304b, 16-1270) to show heading strip (1) and weaving proper (2) comparable in texture; (3) section between them, the join, more loosely woven. Width of sections shown, 3.5 inches.
a, b, c, examples of medium-coarse Chincha fabrics (16-1282, 16-1217, 16-1252), fair to good qualities of weaving; d, worn material reinforced by patches held down by running stitches (16-1222). Dark section of b, 1.25 inches wide; a and c in proportion; upper patch of d, 9 inches by 6 inches.
Textures of fine fabrics. a, comparable to modern cheesecloth (4-4058b); b, canvaslike (16-1255a); c, open plain weave showing high twist of single-ply yarns (4-3883b).
a, reconstruction of end-to-end warp locking, shown in d, by methods which make possible the change from monochrome to stripes; b, close-texture, semibasket weave with three heavy loomstring wefts at end selvage, whipped seam (16-1292); c, end selvage reinforced with needleknitting (16-1217) (cf. pl. 8,f, g); d, fine cotton garment material with stripes below monochrome section (16-1225), right-hand striped section faded; e, section of textile (×2) with turn of fill-in straightening wefts indicated by black threads (4-4056) (cf. pl. 8,a). Width of b and c, 3 inches.