Collections Database

Description:
Lliclla, a Quechua woman's mantle, handwoven on a backstrap loom. Qocha (lit. "lake," the repeated diamond shaped motifs) are each filled with four potato flower motifs. The qocha is understood to be a storehouse for sacred waters. The number four is also significant in Quechua cosmology. The weaving style appears similar to those found around Ausangate or Calca. Qocha and potato flowers woven in red and white. Strips of pink and blue as well as yellow and orange are woven through the middle of the qocha. The lliclla's top and bottom a green and orange unfilled qocha pattern. Bound with pink edging. Looks to be mostly natural dye.

Tags:
indigenous people; textile fabrics; clothing

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=MH+SK+2006.2388.INV

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.