MY TEXTILES FROM PERU.

When I went to Peru in 2007 to study textiles at the Museo Amano, I also travelled a little bit around. I went to Cusco and some of the surrounding villages. Here are some of the textiles I bought, many of them have a lot of history behind. All the textiles are about 50-100 years old.
The belt to the far left, I bought as the first one in Lima, in the area of Miraflores where I were living. It has small bells in the ends and also small money is hanging.

Number two from the right is very small and not so long belt. The story behind is when two men like a woman they fight about her. They both have this little woven belt around there ankle and the one who manage to get the belt, also gets the woman. I never where told if the woman really wanted the man.

The first belt from the right I bought at a village called Pitumarca, near Cusco. I went there for a whole day. Me and my husband rented a taxi.
When we got to the little community I were the only white, and all the childred said "buy buy" to me.
As I could not speak spanish, my husband (who is Peruvian) deceided he wanted to go out and make some friends to me. The first one he was able to talk to was a woman (see the post on Textiles from Cusco, there is a picture of her). She was sitting and cutting old textiles into small pieces and sew them into dolls. I manage to save a beautiful "golon" a border for a skirt or perhaps it is a "jakimas" hat bands. It costed 20 soles. Later on I was told by the man who were in charge of the weaving community it was over 70 years old.

A bag from Cusco. Just around Plazae de Armas there were the most beautiful shop with textiles. As I remember the owner were a man which mother had been collecting textiles all her live. Inside the shop it was a paradise for textile people like me. Downstairs there were ponchos. I bought several cocabags there.

This cocabag I bought at the Pisac market near cusco. We went there on a Tuesday and it was huge. With a lot of stalls with food, textiles, silver / gold, pottery etc.

When the sellers saw I was a professional weaver (I were walking around with my magnifying), suddenly they found the most beautiful textiles they had, hidden under tabels. Many of them were antiques and from the different Peruvian Cultures. I never bought these items, only textiles which were 50-100 years old.

This cocabag and the one on top have small pockets. Probably used for money or perhaps for amulets, something holy.

This cocabag is very simpel, all in natural colors from the alpaca. I love it for its simplicity!

In Ayacucho were I went on my honeymoon I found these two braided belts. In the Inca Empire they were made into a string and used as a weapons.

I am amazed, they (mostly men) are able to braid by holding it in there hands. In Japan this technique is called Kumihimo and is made on special equipment, so this is fantastic work.

In Cusco there is a special shop and museum, run by Nilda Callanaupa Alvarez.

Different communities sell there handwoven and knitted pieces here, all of very high quality. I bought a chullo which is knitted in 100% alpaca and in the technique called "popcorn".

To read more about textiles from the Andes there is a beautiful boo by Nilda Callanaupa Alvarez called Weaving in the Peruvian Highlands. Dreaming Patterns, Weaving Memories.