The World History Paper Dolls

Introducing the World History Paper Dolls! Think American Girl ... but as paper dolls, and from cultures around the whole world.  The World in 1491 is the first series, featuring dolls and life stories of real people who lived in the year 1491 CE.

The first paper doll book in this series is of Mama Ocllo Coya. In 1491, she was the 10th coya (empress) of Tawantinsuyu (the Inca Empire), the largest-ever indigenous empire in the Americas. The book arrives in a kit containing: the hardcover-bound book, a plastic-wrapped set of 12 sheets of paper doll clothes and accessories, which can be carefully cut out with scissors and assembled with tape or glue in order to "stand up" the doll; and a clear drawstring envelope embossed with Mama Ocllo Coya's name, which can be used to store the doll and her clothes in between playing.

Born in the great city of Cuzco in ~1440, Mama Ocllo Coya was named for her ancestor Mama Ocllo, the legendary co-founder of the Inca dynasty. Throughout her life, she was the daughter, the wife, and the mother of 9th, 10th, and 11th Sapa Incas (Inca emperors). Over three generations, they expanded the lands under Inca control from the valley of Cuzco, to the near entirety of their known world (lands in the countries we today call Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina). Mama Ocllo was described by Inca historians as intelligent, caring, and beautiful, and a collector of gold and silver dishes.  She died in 1493, less than twelve months after a group of European sailors first set foot in the Caribbean. At the time of her death, Tawantinsuyu was already the largest indigenous American empire in history. 

Though her grandchildren and great-grandchildren would later lose control of Tawantinsuyu to European colonizers, her memory was never lost in Tawantinsuyu. With publication of this book, we hope that more children can also learn about the legacies of Mama Ocllo Coya and of Tawantinsuyu.

The World History Paper Dolls: Mama Ocllo Coya book includes 106 pages of content, and comes packaged in a kit with 12 pages of paper doll clothing and accessories to be cut out, and a resealable drawstring envelope to store the doll and clothes in.

Part One of the book is for learners aged 6+, and includes an illustrated life story of Mama Ocllo Coya, and instructions for how to play an Exploring Tawantinsuyu Game with the doll and her belongings. 

Part Two is for learners aged 10+, and includes illustrated chapters about Inca history, geography, fashion, and food. These chapters explain in detail how real Inca art and objects were used as the inspiration for the Mama Ocllo Coya doll's clothes and accessories. Part Two also includes an Inca Family Tree, covering six generations during the 100 years from 1472-1572 CE, and a Sources section that describes the Inca-authored primary sources that were used to tell Mama Ocllo Coya's story.

Part Three is an illustrated Glossary of 30+ terms about Inca history, culture, fashion, and food. Throughout the first two parts, the terms about Inca history and culture that readers may not already be familiar with are bolded in pink, so that readers know that they can look them up in the Glossary.

Visit our list of recommended resources, including books, websites, and social media accounts, to learn about Inca history and about Mama Ocllo Coya's world.