Tiwanaku four cornered hat with a most impressive top section (pictured here). Tiwanaku culture, ancestors to the Inca, had a profound impact on all of Andean civilization. Iconography from its megalithic site was found throughout the Andean region during the period from a.d. 400 - 1000. The highland cultures including the important Wari culture absorbed and further spread the imagery from Tiwanaku after a.d. 500. Tiwanaku began to flourish during the Early Intermediate Period and rapidly expanded, its prestige and influence increasing throughout the entire Middle Horizon Period until about a.d. 950 when major climatic changes began to affect its agricultural productivity and influence. This type of hat is similar to the Wari pile-type four cornered hats, (see comparison image here) but Tiwanaku hats are larger and decidedly rarer and were made in a very different structure. Hats such as this rarely come on the market and are highly desirable. This hat has been professionally conserved and was recently acquired from an important private collection. Size: Diameter 7 inches, height 6 inches.