The Amano Museum of Pre-Columbian Textiles
Calle Retiro 160
Miraflores, Lima, Peru
As you may have gathered from reading my blogs on textile
history, I have not restricted my studies to any particular area , but have
researched textiles from prehistoric to contemporary. The information on recent textiles is easy to obtain and
plentiful. Not so with ancient
textiles. It is not unusual for
ancient, extant, examples to be few and difficult to study. Of course, the reason is that there are far,
far, fewer of these textiles. Many
museums have some ( more likely a few) that would fall into this category but
their condition varies to amazingly well preserved to dismally displayed, often
with out-of-date information as to their provenience , fiber content or method
of construction. It has only been in
relatively recent times that skilled professionals with the newest
technological tools have been examining these remains and much still needs to
be accomplished to begin to fill in the gaps of textile history.
It was during discussions with several colleagues at the TSA
(Textile Society of America) Biennial meeting last October that I heard of a
small, but outstanding museum, in Peru with an amazing collection of
Pre-Columbian textiles. (I had
mentioned an upcoming trip to Peru in January). Since I would be in Lima and, coincidentally the suburb of
Miraflores where collection resides, this was added to my must-see list. Little did I realize that it would become a
quest. Firstly, being a small, private
institution it was not widely known to the locals. Our taxi driver had no knowledge of it , and although I had the
address, it was a bit of exploration to find the small suburban street set with
housing. When we arrived, the driver
pointed to a moderately sized building and we paid our fare and set off. My husband, daughter and I entered but
discovered that it was not a museum, but a church. Further, as it was Sunday the people we encountered naturally
assumed we were there for services and directed us in Spanish to various rooms,
which I could only assume were study groups that met before the actual
service. It was probable that many a
textile visitor had made the same mistake and we were finally directed across
the street to a modest, concrete grey, building surrounded with chain-link
fencing. But we were not deterred, we
had finally found this treasure and what a treasure it is!.
For over 60 years, Yoshitaro Amano had collected ancient Peruvian artifacts, left behind by grave robbers and archeologists, alike. In
1964 he opened a museum of these objects, especially a large collection of
textiles. This museum was renovated
after 50 years and contains a collection of more than 600 textiles on display
in chronological sequence. The exhibition is in 4 major rooms with the
most up to date museum lighting and didactics in Spanish and English. There are also video programs and a large
area of flat cases of textiles for study by appointment. One thinks of the Incan civilization as
ancient, but after all it is only the
post-Spanish conquest of the Incans with which we are familiar. These Pre-Columbian textiles were thousands
of years old. Their condition was
remarkable, considering their age, colors still vibrant and fibers, for the
most part still intact so that it was possible to understand their
construction.
Yoshitaro Amano
One of the exhibition rooms
Moi in the exhibition space
 |
| Net darning |
 |
| Feathered cloak |
Only 3 of the examples of the textiles on display
If you are not fortunate to be able to travel to Lima,
please take some time to view information of the museum and the collection on
the internet. There is also many
visuals of pre-Columbian, Peruvian textiles on various websites.
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