Fish-Shaped Applique

This fish-shaped textile was originally stitched with others like it to a mantle, a shawl-like garment that was a staple of Andean clothing. Its partial “X-ray view,” which emphasizes the bony spine, is unique to the style of the Ychsma (yeach-mah), who lived on Peru’s central coast. In addition to referencing sources of food, marine subjects may also carry religious associations, as some coastal peoples of the period regarded the sea as a deity.