Art and Design Commons^™

Ch'ullus In Cosco: Identity In The Andes, Susan M. Kaesgen

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

This study centers on the ch'ullu, the knitted cap, usually with ear flaps and an elongated peak or tail, a hat that identifies the wearer as an indigenous Andean male. The long history of the ch'ullu is marked by both its use as geographic identifier, and as a canvas upon which to present the same designs that represent ancient Andean ideas about ancestry, land and time. Because the knitted hats of today function exactly as ancient ones did, the ch'ullu is proven a descendant of ancient hats, an important element to be preserved rather than discarded for factory made caps.