Can you imagine recreating a textile technique of the Nazca people who lived on the southern coast of Peru from 100 BC to AD 200? I recently saw an example of this technique in a detailed border fragment at the Art Institute of Chicago exhibit “Super/Natural: Textiles of the Andes.” The stitch used to make the three-dimensional plant and animal forms (shown in the picture above) is a complex looping and cross-knit looping technique. There is an ATA link to this pre-Columbian technique. For the past two years, your donations have been supporting weavers at the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) in revitalizing this cross-stitch looping. They have spent hundreds of hours bent over tiny needles, working with … Read More

An amazing exhibit of work by the Andean weavers of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) was recently on display (May 3-June 30) at the Museo Inka in Cusco, Peru. The exhibit, “Reclaiming Ancient Paracas: The Struggle to Recover a Textile Technique” (sponsored by Andean Textile Arts), showcased pieces the weavers created using the pre-Colombian Paracas and Nasca tubular cross-knit looping technique. Recovering textile practices of one’s ancestors takes time and dedication. The exhibit originated nearly three years ago when 20 Andean weavers from CTTC-associated weaving communities attended a workshop at the 2017 Tinkuy conference (also sponsored by ATA). In a unique union of academic and indigenous descendants of the Nasca,  professors Soledad Hoces de la Guardia and … Read More

Peruvian Textiles in a Box (PTIB) allows you to experience the traditional textiles and meet some of the peoples of Peru without having to leave the comfort of your guild or classroom meeting space! This is an all-inclusive educational program that provides an introduction to, and education about, Peruvian indigenous textiles and the skilled artisans who make them. Through the documentary video, Peruvian Weaving Revival by Janet Darrow and actual samples of the artisans’ works, you will meet the weavers, dyers, knitters, and spinners of the Peruvian Highlands who are cooperative members of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC). This self-contained program is designed for fiber guilds, educational settings, and other interested groups. It is packaged with: a 25-minute video which … Read More

The indigenous Mixtec people of Mexico tell the story of two brothers, gods in the land of the “cloud men,” who raged in mortal conflict over fields of nopal cacti. Their blood fell upon the fields, splattering the pads of the nopal and giving future generations an “ink that would circulate through their very veins.” Thus, cochineal was born in the Mixtec pantheon of the gods. Used in ancient times as paint, a cosmetic, and eventually textile dye, cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) is a tiny scale parasitic insect that originated in the Andean regions of what is now Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia. It migrated via coastal trade routes north into Mexico some 2,200 years ago. Its use as a textile dye … Read More

For the first time, Andean Textile Arts is offering a Bolivian artisan tour. While the inaugural tour is already full for August 2019, we expect this to be an annual event, in addition to our popular annual Peruvian Highlands Tour. Bolivia will provide us with natural wonders to explore, along with traditional arts, cultures, and bustling markets. We’ll visit the lowland artisans of ArteCampo in Santa Cruz who produce indigenous and campesino craft goods and weave with the jipijapa palm. From Santa Cruz we’ll fly to Sucre, one of Bolivia’s most charming cities. There we’ll take a walking tour and visit ASUR, a nonprofit that helps weaving communities, such as Jalq’a and Tarabuco, maintain their traditions by promoting the production … Read More

One of the biggest concerns, for those of us who love and work with indigenous textiles from around the world, is “Who will carry on the traditions?” Young people once learned from their elders, stayed in their home villages, got a sixth-grade education at most, married young, and spun and wove for the rest of their lives for subsistence wages. Today they carry cell phones to connect to the outside world and aspire to go to high school or university. The allure of a profession in the city is powerful. To seek an easier, more forward-looking life should be their right. But then what about those exquisite traditional textiles, the ones that require weeks or months of skilled work for … Read More

2018 Andean Arts Textile TourOctober 22- November 2 For many people, traveling to Peru and experiencing Machu Picchu is on their “bucket list.”  For those of us who celebrate artisan textiles, that dream may include the opportunity to visit some highland villages, meet the weavers in person, and see their hands at work on the patterns that have been passed down for generations. And what if you could try your own hands at spinning, backstrap weaving, or natural dyeing?  Even better, what if you could do all that accompanied by internationally recognized Quechua master weaver Nilda Callanaupa? That dream would be almost too good to come true!  Almost. The good news is that we have arranged all those experiences for … Read More

The mission of Andean Textile Arts (ATA) is to support the people and communities of the Andes in their efforts to preserve and revitalize their textile traditions. In support of that mission, ATA has been working closely with the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) for just over twenty years. During those formative years, we have had two major areas of focus: Identifying the highland communities where textile traditions were almost extinct and reviving techniques such as discontinuous warp (ticlla) in Pitumarca or tie-dyed warp (watay) in Sallac, and establishing the Center in Cusco, with its rich resources: a museum, training center, store, and offices. With a strong foundation in place to preserve the weaving techniques, we are thinking … Read More