PERU: Exhibition of indigenous textiles opens in Lima

Exhibition of ancient indigenous textiles opens before heading to France next year. Ancient Peruvian textiles are being showcased in a new exhibition which will travel to France next year. The textiles were used in funeral rituals over two thousand years ago. They were discovered among hundreds of items in 1925 by the Peruvian Arqueologist Julio C. Tello in Ica. The textiles have now been painstakingly restored by French and Peruvian experts. The Quai Branly Museum donated 68,000 Euros to the restoration project under an agreement that will bring the exhibition to France in 2008. The exhibit was inaugurated last week in Lima, Peru. "The textiles in the bundles of Wari Kayan correspond to the Necropolis period, 200 years BC and 200 years AC," said Carmen Thays, supervisor of the restoration team at the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History of Peru. "The pieces represent different personalities or humans, who at times where accompanied by serpents, vegetables and animals such as cats, monkeys, fox, etc." The Paracas tribe survived like many other ancient cultures by hunting, fishing and making use of the land with agriculture. They covered a great part of the country from Cañete to Yauca. "Quai Branly museum has an international policy, therefore has launched a restoration program for the Paracas textiles of the Peruvian coast," said the French Ambassador in Peru, Pierre Charasse. "As you know, this is an ancient culture of textiles which dates as far back as two thousand years, it's exceptional in the world, so the museum decided to finance the restoration of the extraordinary pieces and exhibit them in Paris during five months, between April and August of 2008." Next year the exhibit at the Quai Branly museum could have as many as 86 of the ancient textiles. The assistant of the Peruvian exhibit, Teresa Carvallo, says the restoration has surpassed their expectations. "I think it's an excellent exhibition and the quality of the Paracas quilts is very high," she said.

ITN Source | November 5, 2007

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