Beautiful Weavings Made on Nevado Ausangate

Justina weaving on her hand loom, in Pacchanta

We spent about 45 minutes talking with this lovely Quechua-speaking woman, who lives with her children and mother-in-law in a small village called Pacchanta. It’s on the trekking circuit around Nevado Ausangate.

Justina earns money by weaving textiles on her handloom. The day I met her she was weaving a striking piece of fabric with condors and geometric designs, made from handspun, home-dyed wool. The colors were quite beautiful.

Her daughters looked on as she deftly wove the threads in and out, tracing intricate patterns.

The weaving would be done in two weeks, she told me.

The symbolism of weavings like Justina’s is explored in a marvelous book, Woven Stories: Andean Textiles and Rituals (2003), by ethnographer Andrea Heckman. It’s filled with beautiful, sharp color photographs and includes detailed analysis of the meaning of weavings in Quechua culture. The weavers of Pacchanta are among the artists featured.

I read Woven Stories back in 2006 when I was researching Qoyllur Rit’i in the Latin American collection at the University of Florida library. I borrowed the book for two weeks, the standard loan time, but when it came time to return it, I kept finding excuses not to do so. The photographs in it are gorgeous (it must have cost a fortune to produce), and I’d spend hours poring over the pages.

I ended up ringing up $20 in overdue book charges because of my reluctance to return the book.

It’s one I wish were in my library now.

If anyone wants to buy me a copy as a present, I will happily accept the donation.