How Textiles are Made

The creation of traditional Andean textiles is a time-consuming process. Scarves may take two to three weeks to weave, and larger pieces like mantas might take months. And that's just the weaving!

The process actually begins in the raising of sheep, llamas and alpacas. The woolen fibre is sheared from these animals, and it is washed and spun into threads by hand. Threads are coloured, using plant, animal and mineral dyes. The dying processes are often time-consuming events in themselves. All of these things happen before the weaving can begin.

“If you add up all the time and effort it takes to tend to sheep and alpacas, shear them, wash the wool, spin, gather dying materials, dye the wool, and do the weaving, the total effort required to produce these works is difficult to quantify.”

This section is meant to give you a sense of all the different aspects of Andean textile production, using the old ways. It's all quite simplified, and we fully encourage you to research the topics on your own, for each provides a great avenue of discovery. This is a starting place; an overview designed to whet your appetite and initiate your investigation. We hope that this inspires you to travel to Peru and experience the region, its people, and its traditions for yourself.

So if you discover anything new and exciting here, we are honored to a be a part of that process. Enjoy!