Belt Item Number: 3486/125 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Belt (chumpi) with braided ends that are joined together. A horse repeats many times; as well there are eight-pointed stars and diamonds with hooks outlining them. One face has a background of 7 coloured stripes with white horses and icons, while the other face inverts the colour arrangement, placing figures against a white background.
Belts of different types are used by men, women, and children, and some have special names. Most belts are called chumpi (Quechua) or cinterone (Spanish). Some belts are associated with pregnant women and their babies, where they are used to fasten the swaddling cloths around the infant. Belts for children are usually smaller in size. In some areas, very wide belts are worn with a stiff underbelt, which acts as a back support. Belts in Andean villages are usually made on a continuous warp and the last few inches are finished by braiding. A wide variety of techniques are used to pattern the belts. The imagery woven on belts is usually drawn from a set of geometric and figurative icons that are combined in ways that are distinctive of a particular community. The shortness of this belt may indicate it was made for a child.
The eight-pointed star is a pre-conquest icon associated with the Chuquibamba, a culture located in the south west sector of the Inca Empire called Condesuyo.
Woven in warp-faced double cloth.
Purchased by the donor in Sucre, Bolivia in 1983, in the shop of Elizabeth Rojas.