History

Peruvian textiles have an incredibly rich tradition, with pre-Incan museums all around the country featuring beautiful textiles. In Paracas, the textile art is considered exquisite and delicate. Dating from around 600 BC these textiles were used to wrap mummies, in layer after layer of ornate and finely woven textiles.

Other pre Incan cultures also had a rich textile tradition, which like the Paracas culture shows the combination between the utilitarian nature of textiles and also their high value. (They accompanied Paracas people into the after-life).

“It is said that men of Inca nobility only wore each woven cape once, and that he had a store room of them at his call.”

As such, the backstrap loom that is used in the Andes today dates to pre Inca times and the weavers use very similar technology as their ancestors – down to the bone or wooden pegs, shuttles and rods used with the loom.

The Incas were famous for their assimilation policies; as such they took on, and improved the traditions of each of the civilizations they conquered. As such, they took on and improved the textile tradition.

While the Incas will always be most famous for their architectural achievements, their ceramics and textiles were also highly developed and exquisite. It is said that the Inca only wore each cape once, and that he had a store room of them at his call. However, due to the conquistadores thirst for gold, their chronicles seem to gloss over the value of the textile tradition that existed at the time of the conquest.

However, the textile tradition continued in Peru as it had pre conquest and pre Incas. The knowledge of weaving was passed on not by writing but by the Andean method of person-to-person communication, by watching and practicing.

Today, textiles continue to play an important ritual part of their communities. Textiles are given as gifts in courtship, are important parts of marriage and coming of age ceremonies, and will be present during baptism and communion.