Spindle Whorls

By Geoffrey McCafferty (2010)

Spindle whorls function as fly-wheels on long wooden spindles to maintain inertia while spinning raw fiber into twisted thread.  Many different materials may be used for the purpose: wood, seeds, stone, fruit, etc.  In Mesoamerica the most common material found from pre-Columbian contexts is baked clay; in coastal Oaxaca contemporary spinners use sun-dried clay, which would generally not have preserved in the archaeological record.

Several spinning techniques are known to exist among contemporary spinners, including supported- , drop- , and thigh-spinning.  Mechanical properties of the different techniques probably effected the kinds of spindle whorls used.  Modern spinners prefer whorls less than one ounce (32 g) in weight for supported spinning, and thigh spinning usually involves a large disc-shaped whorl.  Drop-spinning generally employs a heavier whorl.  Physical properties of the different techniques may leave distinctive wear patterns on the whorls, such a abraded areas around the edge of whorls for supported spinning, or abrasion from thread around the whorl hole from drop-spinning.

Figure 1: Woman support-spinning with spindle in small bowl (after Charnay)

Spindle whorls have generally been studied for their relationship to textile production.  Recent investigations have also included the symbolism on decorated whorls as a window onto female discourse, since spinning and weaving were widely considered tasks associated with female identity and female ideology.  Mary Parsons (1972) is widely regarded as the first scholar to bring a rigorous methodology to the study of Mesoamerican whorls.  She recognized that different sizes and weights reflected different mechanical properties and therefore a likely distinction between fiber types being spun.  She was particularly interested in the distinction between small whorls that would have been used to spin cotton, and larger whorls that were more likely used for maguey fiber.  Many scholars have followed in Parsons' footsteps, and now spindle whorl studies exist for many regions throughout Mesoamerica.