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An Inka Unku from Caleta Vitor Bay, Northern Chile

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2021

Tracy Martens ,
Jacqueline Correa-Lau ,
Calogero M. Santoro ,
Christopher Carter  and
Judith Cameron
Tracy Martens*
Affiliation:
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT2000, Australia
Jacqueline Correa-Lau
Affiliation:
Universidad de Tarapacá, Instituto de Alta Investigación, Antofagasta1520, Arica, Chile
Calogero M. Santoro
Affiliation:
Universidad de Tarapacá, Instituto de Alta Investigación, Antofagasta1520, Arica, Chile
Christopher Carter
Affiliation:
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT2000, Australia
Judith Cameron
Affiliation:
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT2000, Australia
*
(martens.tracy@gmail.com, corresponding author)
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Abstract

As insignia of power and prestige, Inka unku (tapestry tunics) communicated the strength and extent of Inka sociopolitical hegemony in the Andes. Of the 36 known full-size examples in museum collections, only one, found in Argentina, comes from outside Peru. This article investigates another recently excavated unku found out of context on Chile's northernmost coast. To confirm its authenticity, we compiled a database showing the technical and stylistic attributes of previous finds for comparison. We conclude that this artifact is indeed a new type of unku and that the discovery affects our understanding of the complex relationship between the people of this province and the Inka state.

Como insignia de poder y prestigio, los unku (túnicas de tapiz) Inka comunicaban la extensión del poder y la hegemonía socio-política del Estado Inka a lo largo de los Andes. De los 36 ejemplos conocidos de unku que hemos estudiado de diferentes colecciones alrededor del mundo, con la excepción de uno del noroeste de Argentina, el resto son de regiones conocidas o no especificadas de Perú. La importancia sociopolítica de estas prendas en la historia andina nos motivó a hacer análisis técnicos y estilísticos al unku de Caleta Vitor, un descubrimiento sin precedentes, en esta bahía de la costa del extremo norte de Chile. Concluimos que se trata de un nuevo tipo de unku Inka, que proporciona una mayor comprensión sobre la compleja relación entre la gente de esta provincia y el Estado Inka.

Keywords

textilesInkaunkutapestryweavingAtacamatextilesInkaunkutapiztejidoAtacama
Type
Report
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , March 2021 , pp. 201 - 208
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for American Archaeology

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