Note 534 — Chapter CXIV

The Peruvians wove cotton and woollen cloths with great skill, and there are a great number of words connected with weaving in the Quichua language, such as ahuana (loom), ahuay (woof), comana (a wooden batten used in weaving), etc. They also knew the secret of fixing the dyes of all colours—flesh colour, yellow, gray, blue, green, black—so firmly that they never fade after the lapse of ages, and all their dyes were extracted from vegetables. They ornamented their textures by sewing leaves of gold or silver, mother-of-pearl, and feathers on them; and they also made fringes, laces, and tassels of wool and cotton, to adorn carpets and tapestries.