Threads Tell Stories: How Archaeologists Read Andean Textiles

What can a piece of cloth tell us about the people who made and used it? Using contemporary Andean textiles, alongside images from archaeological research, visitors will be encouraged to look closely at fibers, threads, weaving techniques, colors, and patterns and discuss how these details can help archaeologists understand technology, identity, labor, and everyday life in the past. Become a “textile detective” as you consider what clues different materials and manufacturing choices can provide about the people and communities that produced them. Presented by Rosa María Varillas, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, University of Illinois Chicago; Scientific Affiliate, Field Museum.