The Chancay people inhabited the Chancay and Chillón valleys on the central coast of Peru circa AD 1000 – 1476. They are best known for their textiles and fortunately thousands of Chancay textiles survive in museums around the world. This is in part due to a good environment for preservation on the Peruvian coast, but is also probably the result of extensive production. The Chancay are often compared with the more widely known and intensively studied Chimu culture of the North Coast. The Chancay and Chimu were often in conflict with each other because they shared a common border. However, because of this, they share many similarities in their textiles. Both kingdoms were conquered and incorporated into the Inca Empire in the mid to late 13th century AD.
Our Chancay Warrior T-Shirt is hand embroidered to replicate an original textile depicting a warrior deity preparing for battle. Notice he is surrounded by fish and as a coastal people the Chancay used fish not only as a food source but also as a ritual ingredient and even the fish bones were utilized as part of their weaponry.
Tap into your warrior spirit with these Chancay inspired designs: