Textile
Not on view
This textile is a fine example of the Aymara warp-faced weaving tradition, which scholars believe date back to pre-Hispanic times (see Adelson and Tracht, 1983: 9). The Aymara, who live on the altiplano (high plateau) of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile, are excellent spinners and skilled weavers of fine yarns made from camelid fiber, most commonly from llama, alpaca, or vicuña. Having developed a highly complex dyeing technique as evidenced by the depth, evenness, and endurance of the brilliant colors seen in their textiles, the Aymara often integrate a rich spectrum of colors within their weavings. Over half a dozen colors, ranging from reds and yellows to blues and greens, may be artfully incorporated into a single textile through the use of stripes, a prevailing design composition amongst Aymara weavings.
References
Adelson, Laurie and Arthur Tracht. 1983. Aymara Weavings: Ceremonial Textiles of Colonial and 19th Century Bolivia. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.