2-734-311 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Loincloth, 1200-1460s. Loincloths were basic men’s wear in ancient Peru. However, the extraordinary size of high-status examples—this one is eight feet long when unfolded—makes it hard to know how they were arranged on the body, except that they were tied around the waist with the decorated panels hanging at the front and back. The final appearance may have been that of a billowing skirt. Men’s costume was completed by a matching tunic, a rectangular mantle draped around the shoulders, and headgear like a turban.