Belt Item Number: 3486/127 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Narrow belt (chumpi) with a band of diamonds, each with a square in the centre; ends are finished in loop-end braids that are fastened together and narrow ties are attached to each end. Colours are reversed in position on the two faces, one face with green, red and purple bands and other face being white.
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.
Woven in a complementary warp weave with 3-span floats in alternate alignment, “intermesh” variant.
Purchased by donor in an artesania shop in 1982 in Cuzco.