Feathered panels

These are nine of what may have originally been a set of some ninety-six panels covered with blue-and-yellow macaw feathers. Discovered in 1943, the panels had been rolled up, placed in ceramic jars, and buried. Most feature braided cords that hang from their sides, suggesting that the works may have been secured to some kind of structure.  

Although these feathered panels were found—and likely woven—in the dry western foothills of the Andes, macaws are native to the Amazon Rainforest, far to the east. Recent research suggests that while some plumes were sourced from wild birds, others were harvested from those raised in captivity, either in the Amazon region or on the Peruvian coast.