The aboriginal art symbols are as diverse as they are old. South America’s culture it’s been shaped by its indigenous artists and the regions they inhabited. In this particular case, we are going to refer to some of the oldest Peruvian civilizations, whether Coastal or Andean, such as the Wari, Chancay, Nazca and Inca cultures, who left a legacy of art symbols and pattern designs through their textiles and other objects still preserved in several museums in South America and the world at large.

Wari:

The Wari civilization flourished in the coastal and highland areas of ancient Peru between c. 450 and c. 1000 CE. Wari, as the former capital city was called, is located 11 km (6.8 mi) north-east of the modern city of Ayacucho, Peru. The Wari are particularly known for their textiles, which were well-preserved in desert burials. Surviving textiles include tapestries, hats and tunics for high-ranking officials. There are between six and nine miles of thread in each tunic, and they often feature highly abstracted versions of typical Andean artistic motifs, such as the Staff God. The Staff God is a major deity in Andean cultures.

Chancay:

Chancay culture is a pre-Columbian culture developed in Peru between the years 1200 and 1470 B.C., which declines on XV century faded out by conquerors coming from Inca empire. Chancay civilization set up between the valleys Chancay, Chillon, Rimac and Lurin, at the central coast in current Peru.Not much is known about the Chancay civilization, which developed in the later part of the Inca Empire. This culture emerged after the fall of the Wari civilization. The Chancay culture is the first of the Peruvian cultures that had mass production of ceramics, textiles and metals such as gold and silver. The most well-known Chancay artefacts are the textiles which ranged from embroidered pieces, different types of fabrics – llama wool, cotton, chiffon, and feathers – decorated with paint. A variety of techniques, colours and themes were used in the making of textiles.

Nazca:

The Nazca culture (also Nasca) was the archaeological culture that flourished from c. 100 BC to 800 AD beside the arid, southern coast of Peru in the river valleys of the Rio Grande de Nazca drainage and the Ica Valley. Strongly influenced by the preceding Paracas culture, which was known for extremely complex textiles, the Nazca produced an array of crafts and technologies such as ceramics, textiles, and geoglyphs.

Inca:

The Inca Empire (Quechua: Tawantinsuyu, also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The Inca civilization arose from the Peruvian highlands sometime in the early 13th century. Its last stronghold was conquered by the Spanish in 1572. Inca fabrics were made from either lowlands plants, like cotton traded from coastal and Amazonian peoples, or from highland mammals, like llamas and alpacas. These materials connect Inca weavers to an ancient tradition; weaving seems to have first been developed in the Andes up to 5,000 years ago.