article
Textiles, women, and political economy in late prehispanic Peru
Research in economic anthropology • 14 • Published In 1993 • Pages: 3-28
By: Costin, Cathy Lynne.
Abstract
Costin examines textile production as it is portrayed in the ethnohistoric literature and in the archaeological remains found throughout the Yanamarca Valley in Peru. For the sake of simplification, as gender can not be distinguished in the archaelogical data and as it is usually produced by women, Costin treats cloth production as solely women's work. She specifically looks at how rough cloth ('ANASQA) and fine cloth (QOMPI) were made during the Wanka II period as shown by the archaeological data and contrasts that with the changes seen in the Wanka III period, after the Inkan conquest, based on archaeological and ethnohistoric data. Some of the changes seen in the Wanka III period include towns that showed no sign of spinning or weaving and indications that women gained even less direct benefit from the textiles they wove than they had earlier. Although women made most of the CHICHA and cloth given as gifts by the Inka state they rarely participated in the ceremonies where these items were distributed. Instead, men were the usual receipients.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2005
- Region
- South America
- Sub Region
- Central Andes
- Document Type
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Archaeologist
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Sarah Berry ; 2003
- Field Date
- 1977-1979, 1982-1983
- Coverage Date
- 1350-1533
- Coverage Place
- Yanamarca Valley; Peru
- Notes
- Cathy Lynne Costin
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 25-28)
- LCCN
- 79640245
- LCSH
- Incas