Manabí or Quimbaya Terracotta Spindle Whorls

Pre-Columbian era, Manabí Culture, Ecuador & Quimbaya Culture, Colombia, c. 1050-1500 AD

A stunning collection of four Pre-Columbian earthenware spindle whorls, each adorned with intricately incised fine-line motifs in elegant linear and circular patterns. These meticulously hand-polished artifacts serve as remarkable testaments to the advanced textile traditions of ancient South American civilizations.

Spindle whorls—known as malacates in Aztec Mexico, husos in Spanish, and fusaiola in classical archaeology—were essential tools in fiber production. These perforated weights, placed on a spindle shaft, facilitated the twisting of maguey, cotton, or wool fibers into yarn. Their size and weight determined their function: smaller whorls rotated faster, ideal for delicate fibers like rabbit fur, while heavier whorls were suited for coarser materials such as maguey.

These spindle whorls exhibit varied and culturally distinct forms, ranging from spheroid and semi-spheroid to barrel-shaped, oblong, or conical. The intricate decorative patterns, primarily achieved through incision and excision, were often filled with white lime or pigments, enhancing their aesthetic appeal.

Intriguingly, some Pre-Columbian spindle whorls from Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru feature highly detailed depictions of plant reproductive structures, illustrating the economic importance of crops like tomatoes, peppers (Solanaceae), gourds, squashes (Cucurbitaceae), and cotton (Gossypium barbadense). The precise arrangement of seeds and gossypol glands in these illustrations reflects the deep botanical knowledge of these ancient cultures.

A superb and historically rich collection, perfect for collectors of Pre-Columbian artifacts, textile history, and ancient tools.

Excellent condition. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age and use. Light encrustations within recessed areas. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Size of the whorls varies from approx. 1,5cm to 2,4cm.

Provenance: Dutch private collection

References and further reading:

The thread of life: Symbolism of miniature art from Ecuador, Johannes Wilbert, Studies in Pre-Columbian Art and Archaeology, no. 12 (1974): pp. 1–112. (http://www.jstor.org/stable/41263423.)

Arte Precolombino Ecuatoriano: Las Fusaiolas o Torteras del Litoral, Funes Sánchez & Maria Antonieta, Published by Editorial Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, Nucleo del Guayas, 1970.

Spinning and Weaving as Female Gender Identity in Post-Classic Mexico, Sharisse D. McCafferty and Geoffrey G. McCafferty, Textile Traditions of Mesoamerica and the Andes: An Anthology, edited by Margot Blum Schevill, Janet Catherine Berlo and Edward B. Dwyer, New York, USA: University of Texas Press, 2021, pp. 19-44. (https://doi.org/10.7560/777149-005)

The World on a Whorl: Considerations on Aztec Spindle Whorl Iconography, Jesper Nielsen, PreColumbian Textile Conference VII / Jornadas de Textiles PreColombinos VII. 5., 2017 (http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/pct7/5)

Representations on Pre-Columbian Spindle Whorls of the Floral and Fruit Structure of Economic Plants, Dorothy McMeekin, Economic Botany 46, no. 2 (1992), pp. 171–80. (http://www.jstor.org/stable/4255424.)

Spindle whorls from the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico, MH Parsons, Anthropological Papers. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology, 1972.

The Distribution of Late Postclassic Spindle Whorls in the Valley of Mexico, MH Parsons, American Antiquity 40 (2), pp. 207-215, 1975.