Cumbi
Cumbi was a fine luxurious fabric of the Inca Empire. Elites used to offer cumbi to the rulers, and it was a reserved cloth for Royalty. Common people were not allowed to use Cumbi. Cumbi was a phenomenal textile art of Andean textiles.
Structure
The fabric was a fine tapestry structure woven with superfine local cotton and vicuña wool. The male weavers used upright looms.Inca textiles
Textile production was the second most important after agriculture in the Inca period. The strength was the raw material like alpaca and llama wool as well as indigenous cotton. Textile materials were classified into many categories, Chusi was the coarsest cloth used for blankets and rugs. The closest to Cumbi are the following:Awsaka
Awaska, a warp faced plain weave cloth with a 120 thread count for regular use, like daily household goods. Awaska was used for blankets and rugs. It was a coarse wool material from sheep or llama.Qunpi
Qunpi was a finer and more delicate type than Awaska, divided further into two varieties:- Male weavers wove this type. Highly skilled weavers were engaged in weaving Cumbi. They were called
Cumbi camayos . Cumbi weaving was their only job. It was allowed for specific usages like the clothing of the rulers, gifts for the nobles, and trading purposes. - The finest cloth type of Qunpi had a thread count of 600, was woven by
acllas exclusive female weavers in Cuzco. The fabric was used for defined practices like religious rituals and royal use only. This particular type of cloth was unmatchable throughout the world till machines overtook in the 19th century.