This elaborately embroidered poncho showcases a rich overlay of materials, techniques, and imagery that reflects Spain’s control of Peru during the Colonial Period (1533–1821) and the westernizing impact on its textile manufacturing. With the establishment of the Manila galleons—Spanish ships that made yearly voyages between Manila, Philippines; Acapulco, Mexico; and Lima, Peru—South America became part of the Spanish Empire’s expansive global trade network. By the seventeenth century, Lima was a well-established market for luxury imports from both Europe and Asia, such as European woolens and metallic threads and Chinese silks.

This poncho is made completely from imported goods— European navy-blue wool cloth and metallic threads (quite possibly made with American silver) and Chinese silk floss. Also imported were the European embroidery techniques. Recognizing the high skill of Andean textile artisans, Spain quickly established textile manufacturing in Peru, and master embroiderers were among the first craftspeople to be brought to the Americas. These artisans established workshops that employed the same techniques used in Spanish and Italian ecclesiastical embroidery, including couched and laid-stitch metallic-thread embroidery (Phipps 2013, 36–37). The poncho displays imagery that reflects the history of the Habsburg reign, with numerous colonial elements such as the double-headed eagle, the crowned lion, and Melusine—the mermaid with two tails. Such regal garments were often given to notable figures, such as generals, as may have been the case with this poncho of a fine navy cloth resembling that of an officer’s uniform. jkd