Luxury, Labor and Meaning
In pre-Columbian societies textiles were not only items of great beauty and luxury representing many months, sometimes years of arduous labor, they also held sacred information encoded through specific colors, patterns and imagery. They were owned by the ruling class; individuals who were venerated as keepers of deep spiritual meaning and power.
The recent acquisitions below survived in remarkable condition and show stunning workmanship, but they also seem to hold something more; a message.