If you’re unfamiliar with one of the most unusual and complex weaving processes in the world, let me introduce you to ticlla, a Quechua word. You may know this textile technique as discontinuous (warp and weft) or scaffold weaving.
The weavers of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) community of Pitumarca are internationally known for their revival of ticlla. Pitumarca was an ancient outpost of the Wari culture, a civilization eventually conquered by the Inca. Their Wari ancestors were well known for their stunning textiles directly influenced by the Paracas (800 – 100 BCE) and Nasca (100 BCE – 800 AD) cultures. These two societies, located on the coast of southern Peru, were the first to invent the ticlla technique and many other complex textile traditions that eventually found their way into the high Andes, into the hands of the weavers of Pitumarca.
The working knowledge of thousands of pre-Columbian textile techniques were destroyed during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in the sixteenth century. These techniques constituted an enormous part of the legacy, wealth, and identity of the people of the Andes. Today, the weavers of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) seek to recover their connection with their ancestors, their history, and their identity by recovering many of these techniques.
The Structure of Ticlla
Weavers must know the design for their finished textile before they begin warping on the special ticlla frame. Why? The warp is wound in a discontinuous pattern–the weavers change the color of their warp thread in sections by inserting rods or sticks into their warp. This produces a textile where the different sections of color are literally woven together, not merely cut out and joined with stitching.
Ticlla-Watay
Now that you have some understanding of ticlla, watch this recorded program with Nilda Callañaupa, founder and director of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco, as she talks about the revitalization project of ticlla-watay-
Since 2020, the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco has worked with the weavers of Santa Cruz de Sallac, masters in the watay technique (ikat), and weavers of Pitumarca, masters of ticlla (discontinuous warp and weft), to revitalize ticlla-watay, both pre-Columbian techniques that other communities have lost. This joint effort culminated in these two communities learning how to combine ticlla and watay in the same textile according to the way ancient weavers implemented these techniques in the Nasca and Wari cultures. Over the past year, the weavers of Sallac and Pitumarca have been successfully training the other CTTC communities in this complex technique. ATA has funded this revitalization project through multi-year grants and this year’s auction offers a few more of these incredible results. Since this project is taking off, many of the communities need more ticlla warping frames. You can donate towards these as well during this year’s auction.
