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The Weavers of Chinchero
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| At Chinchero we were given a demonstration of the art of creating beautiful alpaca cloth, beginning with the raw wool. . . | and continuing through
the spinning in the traditional manner. |
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| The wool is then dyed with natural dyes. Salt is added as a fixative, which changes the color. | It takes an expert many years of experience to be able to produce all the colors that are used. |
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| Looms are then set up to weave the patterned cloth. | Traditional tools are used to create elaborate designs. |
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| Pieces are then finished by hand. | The variety of colors and patterns is amazing. |
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The weavers found eager customers after the demonstration, as we had our first experience of the Peruvian art of bargaining. After we had finished our purchases, the weavers of Chinchera provided us with a sumptuous Peruvian lunch, including (for those who wanted it) a taste of the local delicacy, cuy (guinea pig), which the locals eat whole (but we did not). |
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