Miniature Poncho

100 B.C.-100 A.D.; Paracas; Cotton, camelid fiber; height 85 cm (33 1/2 in.); Founders Society Purchase with funds from Founders Junior Council, and J. Lawrence Buell, Jr., Fund; 1993.22

This finely woven and embroidered miniature poncho was made for a high-ranking child and was probably worn on state occasions before being buried with its owner. This extremely intricate embroidery imitates the geometry of a woven textile because of its repeated pattern of interlocking double-headed serpents, which probably represent an agricultural deity.

JPEG, 58K