Nineteen archaeological pre-Columbian textile specimens from the collections of the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art were examined. The textiles (Huari/Tiahuanaco, Ica, Paracas-Cavernas, and Paracas-Necropolis) are described. Elemental analyses for archaeological textile and modern wool samples (C, H, N, S, and ash) are reported. Elemental analyses for samples treated with distilled Hub>2O and CClub>4 are compared with analyses of modern wool samples similarly treated. An ambiguous direct correlation between loss of sulfur and embrittlement could not be made. The possibilities of dating and provenance determination by technical means are discussed. See also AATA 15-389.