Scholarly collecting of ancient Peruvian textiles The influence on contemporary perceptions of Peruvian identity and heritage

This research examines how scholarly collecting of Ancient Peruvian textiles shaped their interpretation within colonial power structures. Through case studies of eight European museum collections, it demonstrates how textiles detached from funerary contexts became singularized commodities serving academic and nationalist purposes. Collecting methods—from grave looting to systematic acquisitions—determined categorization and study patterns. The analysis reveals that detachment created autonomous entities whose materiality enables multiple interpretations. These objects function as "imaginary possessions" and absent presences, simultaneously representing dispossessed heritage and serving as tools for national identity construction in contemporary Peru.