Production Techniques: Colonial Changes
Weft joining techniques:
One standard that was strictly enforced in the Inca workshops was the technique of weft interlocking [1]. Since tapestry uses multiple colors in a single "row" of weft, adjacent regions of different colors must be joined somehow. However, there are many different techniques for joining adjacent regions, and the Inca's chosen technique was weft interlocking [1]: when two colors meet, the weft yarns of the two adjoining colors are looped around each other before being passed back in the other direction. Because this is done at every row, weft interlocking requires that one entire row be completed before starting the next row.
On the other hand, European techniques allowed for dovetailing [1], in which several rows of one color are woven to build up a single region, then several rows of the adjacent region are woven such that the two regions "share" the warp thread located where the two regions meet. Dovetailing allows multiple weavers to work on the same piece simultaneously, since they can build up regions separately before joining them together [1].
The indigenous weavers who wove tapestry for the Europeans adopted dovetailing within a generation [1]. One impact of this change was that it allowed weavers to collaborate on pieces in a way that was impossible during Inca rule [1]. Many Colonial tapestries show clear evidence of collaboration, such as this women's mantle, which shows systematic inconsistencies in the production of figures [2]:
This collaboration not only sped up the process of weaving a single piece, but also had social and economic ramifications for the weavers: whereas Inca tapestry weavers were likely organized into a workshop system under the government, individual weavers were left to work independently under the Spanish system [1]. The result was that weavers banded together to complete commissions together [1], forming a completely different kind of social and economic unit than existed in the time of the Inca.
Warping finishing techniques:
In both Inca and Colonial tapestry, the warp was prepared by winding a single piece of yarn back and forth between two beams that were staked in the ground [1]. The following loom, found at Pachacamac, is representative of the type of loom that both Inca and Colonial weavers would have used:
Warping with a single continuous string results in loops at both ends of the warp where the string loops around the beam. The difference between Inca and Colonial tapestry is that Inca weavers never cut the loops at either end of the warp, while Colonial weavers cut the "top" loops when they finished weaving [1].
In order to weave without cutting the warp loops, the weaver must calculate the size of the finished piece precisely [1]: underestimating results in a truncation of the original design, while overestimating results in too-big loops, diminishing the integrity of the finished edge. Conversely, if the weaver is committed to cutting the warp, they can overestimate the length of the warp, cut the warp, then tuck the cut ends back into the tapestry for a stable edge.
Another ramification of cutting the warp threads is that when the warp is exactly the size of finished textile, the last few inches of cloth are very difficult to weave [1]. If the weaver has allowed for extra length in the warp, these last rows are comparatively easy to weave.
While these two benefits of cutting the warp had immense practical implications for weavers, indigenous weavers did not seem entirely comfortable with cutting their warps. The act of cutting the warp off the loom required a ritual offering of the drink chicha, and was considered an "act against nature" [1], implying that the natural order was that the warp threads remain intact. This ritual was the same as that required when weavers drove stakes into the ground to assemble their looms [1]. Thus, while indigenous weavers adopted European practices for their practical benefits, they incorporated these new practices into the framework of indigenous cultural practices and notions of natural order.
