Terms that denote the directional twist of fibers are “S” and “Z”: to produce an “S” twist yarn, the fibers are spun in a clockwise direction to produce a “Z” twist yarn they are spun counter-clockwise. Pages 210-211). Here, Paul proposes that visual content and style in Paracas textiles shown to be consistent over many years bears intentionality and symbolic importance, and carries forward the illuminating research of Mary Frame, who first suggested that visual elements in early Paracas textiles are the very embodiment of textile structure, drilling down to the direction and movement of plied spun fiber. ( See Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. This design choice is addressed in a paper by the late Anne Paul, The Multiple Layers of Meaning in a Paracas Necropolis Textile (2000), as part of her analysis of a poncho in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago. My visual observations of this textile led me to wonder about two gaps in the embroidery that appear on either end of the L-shaped borders. Directional orientation of the border compositions run clockwise (outer borders and fabric edge) and counter-clockwise (inner border and neck slit).

The bird, reduced to its barest of elements of detail, is further embroidered within the wings of the outer figure, and along the finished edges of the neck slit and fabric edge. Nesting within each double-headed bird is an inversion of this figure, within which a third, smaller, upright variant rests in a type of telescopic layering. Two L-shaped borders along the outer edge and two vertical borders on either side of the neck slit contain squares of varying colors that encase a double-headed bird motif. Despite having been made over 2,000 years ago, this textile appears vibrant, brand new, and absolutely intact – its pristine condition given its age is nothing short of astonishing. This small poncho, dating to 100 B.C.-0, would have covered the upper torso of its wearer and is executed in linear style embroidery, one of three distinct styles characterizing Paracas textiles (the other two being block color and broad line style).

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