This shirt is made from four pieces of tapestry sewn together. Interlocking birds decorate the front and back of this garment, while other birds process along bottom and sleeve-ends.

It is unusual for organic materials to survive archaeologically for thousands or even hundreds of years. Many materials important in life such as clothing decompose quickly when they are left exposed or buried in the soil. It is therefore quite a privilege when textiles have been preserved over the centuries for us to see and study them.

Organic materials such as plant fiber can be preserved in extreme conditions – very wet, very dry, or very cold. Humidity is the enemy of objects made of plant or animal fiber, and the desert of the Western Andes is one of the driest regions in the world. Thanks to low humidity on the coast, many Peruvian textiles have survived in the dry sandy soil.

This shirt is part of the Museum’s collection of pre-Columbian textiles from Peru. The collection contains several hundred fragments of fabric and several whole garments. I selected this object because it is a beautiful example from this collection and because the entire shirt has been preserved intact. Archaeological fabrics can tell of elaborate ancient weaving techniques, natural dyes, colors and iconography; all of which reflect the local physical environment, cultural relationships, and cosmological beliefs of those who created the object.
– Ed Fleming, Curator of Archaeology