During Tinkuy 2017, twenty weavers from the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) participated in a workshop on the Paracas and Nazca looping technique with two professors from Chile, Soledad Hoces de la Guardia and Ana María Rojas. In order to encourage the study of this pre-Colombian textile technique, looping became the theme for the CTTC annual competition this year.
In a scant five months, two weavers who participated in the Tinkuy class taught workshops to a few members from each of the ten communities, who then returned to their communities to teach what they had learned. A competition was set among the communities with categories for adult weavers and young weavers.
The external judging took place on August 15 by Yuki Seo, a textile conservationist and investigator, and Martha Calderón, a textile conservationist and historian. In the adult weaver’s category, Patabamba took first place, Chinchero second, and Accha Alta third. In the young weaver’s category, Accha Alta came in first, followed by Chahuaytire, and Chinchero in third place.
With this competition, CTTC has achieved the revival of yet another pre-Colombian technique. The weavers have learned more about their heritage and have had a direct hand in reviving the work of their ancestors. But now the practice of this technique must continue so that it is not forgotten once more. Moving forward, we hope that this type of work to revive pre-Colombian techniques instills yet more pride in the weavers for their traditions, heritage, and identity.
While the top award pieces have been added to the Center’s permanent collection, other collector-worthy, complex pieces are for sale. If you’re interested in viewing them and receiving pricing, please contact info@andeantextilearts.org.
