Inca Cumbi: Precolumbian Tapestry Traditions
However, the Inca developed textile production further, introducing strict standards for tapestries and building an empire-wide infrastructure to provide artisans with the best possible materials [1]. The two techniques addressed in the next section, weft interlocking and uncut warps, were among the innovations that the Inca brought to tapestry [1].
Inca tapestry, called cumbi, was reserved for the elite, and worn as tunics and mantles. Cumbi was woven by artisans called cumbicamoyos, who were trained to the strict standards of the Inca [1]. Evidence suggests that both men and women wove cumbi, and that textile production in general was less gendered in the Inca empire than in Europe and the Colonial empire [3, 4]. Below is an example of an Inca garment made from cumbi and very well preserved:
