Amano: Museum of Pre-Columbian Textile Art

The Amano Textile Museum in Lima has a strange history. The responsible of this great collection of Peruvian textiles is the Japanese businessman Yoshitaro Amano. He lived in the United States until the 1930s, but was deported to Japan during World War II. In 1951 he returned to America and decided to settle in Peru.

There he discovered the value of the textiles of ancient cultures and decided to collect them and preserve them. Founded in 1964, its museum was a place where Japanese and Peruvian researchers converged on efforts to preserve the past. But the museum is not just an excellent example of international understanding and cooperation. The Peruvian textile art exhibited is one of the best collections in the country.

Many museums in Peru are dedicated to ceramics and metal objects of pre-Columbian culture, in archaeological sites visitors visit their buildings.

Textiles are usually a fairly neglected exhibition area. Textile processing in Peru has a long tradition. Alpacas living in the Andes already served pre-Columbian cultures as farm animals for the production of their clothing. And until today, the ethnic patterns of the first South American cultures have influenced fashion in America and Europe.

Therefore, he left to visit this special museum, which, with its textile collection, is a place that perfectly complements other museums in Lima. The Amano exhibition is divided into three thematic areas. Part of this shows the history of textile crafts during various periods, from the culture of the Paracas, to the Chimú and the Incas.

Since the ancient cultures did not yet have a writing system, it is not possible to identify the function of the garments and the meaning of the symbols in them. Fortunately, however, private collectors such as Yoshitaro Amano have preserved such an abundance of pieces that researchers, through comparisons and studies, have acquired a certain knowledge of the traditions and rituals of ancient cultures.