Inca Project 1

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Spinning and Weaving

There are very few examples of Inca cloth. Most of the cloth has been destroyed but from what little evidence we have , we know that the Incas were very good weavers. Girls from a young age would learn to spin wool into cloth. They also would gather plants which provided the dyes for the wool. The wool after it was dyed was spun into soft sheets. Here is a short article on Andean textiles from an external site.

The material would usually be striped or simple but some had very complicated patterns. A professional weaver wove most of the wool. The weaver would use only the finest wool, which would be dyed in bright colors and woven into complicated patterns.

Inca Clothing

Although the clothes varied based on their position in the social structure, the basic style was basically the same. The men wore simple tunics reaching to just above the knees. Over this they wore a loose cloak. On their feet they would wear grass shoes or leather sandals. The women dressed in ankle-length skirts and usually with a braided waistband. They wore a cap on their head and on their hair they pinned a folded piece of cloth. In the highlands all clothes were made of wool. In the coastal area cooler fabrics were used. Click on the picture on the right for example of men's clothing today.