PARACAS MANTLE ART

The Paracas Necropolis culture (c. 200 BCE, Peru) buried their dead with elaborate embroidered mantles depicting hundreds of figures—shamans flying as birds, jaguar warriors, whale spirits—stitched in radiant wool on cotton fabric. These immense textiles, an inclusive Peruvian heritage art now in museums, astound with their preservation and detail, highlighting the belief in clothing as vital for the soul’s journey beyond.