On a recent trip to Machu Picchu, i was mesmerized by all of the lovely textiles.....but didn’t have a lot of time to stop and study them....but....for your ogling enjoyment here are a couple of highlights.
The tapestry above was probably 4’x6’, hanging in an alcove at the hotel at the Machu Picchu site. It’s woven, and features birds in a tessellated pattern. Here’s a closeup of the birds:
There was no indication of the artist, but whoever wove it clearly knew about colour and value. It looked like it was wool, probably hand spun. I’m thinking that motif would likely work really well in a rug, right?
At another hotel in nearby Urubamba i came across a display case with work by local weavers, and of course i had to buy something....All funds went back to the craftspeople.
The sash/scarf is wool, and features hand spun and hand dyed wool. The small bag on the left is alpaca.
While in Lima we went to the Inca Market and found a store selling woven fabric by the yard...i was sorely tempted to buy some, but limited myself to a few pieces of ribbon, in wool.
I would have loved to visit the local textile centres in the Cuzco region, but our trip was a brief one. Here’s a video in Spanish that shows you the locals at work spinning and weaving. Really fabulous colours.
https://youtu.be/kTa4BkVImPY
...and finally, here’s a photo I took at Machu Picchu itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment