Mapuche textiles are noted for straightforward geometry of pattern and for strong color. They are made in a technique called "warp ikat," the origins of which are obscure in South America. Their patterns are usually formed by nested, stepped diamonds or chevrons, customarily worked in two colors, principally indigo blue and white, although red and white examples are known. Woven of sheep's wool, the most important of Mapuche textiles were men's ponchos, left open at the side seams and fringed at the bottom. This example is particularly large, and the inclusion of the red and green stripes indicates that it was worn by a man of high status in the community.

The Mapuche were a tough, bellicose people, who managed to withstand the incursions of Inka, Spaniards, and Chileans alike until the late nineteenth century, when military and missionary outposts were established in their territory. Today they live in central Chile toward the lower limits of the Andes mountain range, where they are established on land ceded to them by the Chilean government.