The eyewitness report of Pedro de Cieza de Leon, written in 1551, is filled with awe and amazement: “There is a garden in which the earth was of pieces of fine gold, and it was sown with corn of gold, stalks as well as leaves and ears... more than twenty gold sheep (probably Ilamas misidentified as sheep - sheep were first brought to the New World by the Spanish) with their lambs, and the shepherds who guarded them, their staffs and signs, were all made of this metal.

There were many huge jars of gold and silver and emeralds (probably turquoise or jadeite), vessels, bowls, and all manner of vases, all of fine gold. On the walls sculpted other great things. It was, in sum, one of the richest temples there was in the world.”

Throughout the Inca empire, the tradition of tapestry weaving - carried out without pause since Huari times - was continued and its excellence maintained. Compared to other cultures, the Incas used a relatively limited repertory of textile types. This dynamic highland people favoured superbly woven tapestries and textiles embellished with applique feathers, gold and metal ornaments, even jewels. The Inca iconography emphasised upon geometric and non-figurative motifs, and its relatively spare representaion of figurative themes.