Traditionally one of the most highly valued commodities in ancient South America was textiles. Chancay artists in an important Peruvian coastal society flourishing during the Late Intermediate Period (A.D. 1000-1476) developed a unique knotted weft wrapping textile technique. A well preserved Chancay headcloth woven in this technique is now in the Michael C. Carlos Museum (accession number 1989.8.163).

The ancient American concepts of duality and transcendence are expressed on many levels within the MCCM's Chancay knotted weft wrapped headcloth. Technical expertise, formal composition, as well as the iconography of represented motifs can be seen to reflect the duality of the conceptual and aesthetic system. The dual nature of the technique is exemplified by the use of paired warp and paired weft threads, the use of supplemental threads, and the juxtaposed use of Z-spun yarns with S-spun yarns. The weaving even produces the illusion that a square is composed of two separate rectangles. The MCCM headcloth combines empty and filled square meshes, giving the design alternating rhythms and dynamic visual movement. The openweave grid can be traced vertically and horizontally, in itself a further expression of duality. This piece also incorporates two techniques, knotted weft wrapping and embroidery, to produce multi-layered dualities. The Chancay weaver represents duality in iconography by creating motifs that invite a double reading, in particular interlocked birds and a composite feline/serpent image.