Tie-dyed Textiles in Chile’s Norte Grande Region

Abstract

This paper presents textile pieces from archaeological sites in Northern Chile that were made by using the tie-dyeing technique. They first ap­pear at the end of the Archaic and beginnings of the Formative periods (ca. 1500-1000 BC), their presence lasting until the first half of the Late Intermediate Period (900-1200 AD). We establish the first sequence for this technique (use of which spans over 2700 years) by working on its cultural and chronological documentation. These textiles come from Arica (in Chile's northernmost tip), Tarapacá, the Lower and Middle river Loa, and the oases of San Pedro de Atacama. Although this tech­nique has been traditionally considered to be of Nazca and Tiwananku origin, all of the woven pieces that were reviewed reveal particularities that are coherent with the places they come from, allowing us to suppose they are of local making.Key words: textiles - tie-dyeing technique - Northern Chile - Archaic, Formative, Middle and Late Intermediate Periods