Armour had been considerably
developed among the Inca troops. Quilted cotton shirts or lengths of cloth
wrapped around the body were worn. These were so efficient against native arms
that the Spanish adopted the custom in preference to their heavier and hotter steel
armour. Helmets of wood or plaited cane protected the head, and shields of
wooden slats were worn on the back. Smaller round or rectangular shields were carried
in the hand; these were generally covered with hide and decorated with some
painted design or feather mosaic. Like the Roman testudo, a great strong
cloth that could cover many men was sometimes used in siege operations. (J. Alden
Mason, The Ancient Civilizations of Peru [Middlesex: Penguin Books Ltd.,
1957], 196)