Description
La textilería en Tungurahua se remonta a la época de los Incas, cuando los Salasacas se asentaron en esta provincia. Hasta la década de 1950 prácticamente todas las familias Salasacas poseían un telar de cintura. Se tejían bayetas[1], sashes and ponchos that were made with the wool of the family’s sheep, for their own consumption.
In 1954, the Punto IV Program, taking advantage of the skill of this town in working with textiles, taught a group of Salasaca men to weave tapestries on pedal looms. In the 1970s, this practice continued to be encouraged by the same program and by “The Peace Corps”, thus emerging artisan workshops that made and sold tapestries. This artisanal technique was worked on for several years and is currently carried out by men and women; However, fewer and fewer people are dedicated to this profession.
The raw materials to make these objects are sheep wool and cotton. The sheep’s wool is obtained, spun and dyed by the artisans themselves who subsequently make the tapestries. The dyeing is done with natural dyes obtained from different plants in the sector and with anilines.
The designs of the motifs can be elements of nature such as mountains or rivers, zoomorphic, phytomorphic, anthropomorphic, geometric and mixed motifs. These designs are formed on the loom by crisscrossing the threads. There are motifs that have become emblematic such as: “The Three Chismosas”, “La Mama Tungurahua”, “El Danzante Salasaca”, “El Inca Dancing” and “The Inca Calendar”.[1]Fabric woven with wool on a pedal loom. It is used to make anacos, rebozos, vara and a half, diapers, etc. (Diccionario de la Artesanía Ecuatoriana, 2003, page 40).
English
Salasacas tapestriesTextile weaving in Tungurahua dates back to the time of the Incas when the Salasacas settled in this province. Until the 1950s, practically every Salasaca family owned a backstrap loom. They wove cloths, girdles and ponchos, which were made from the wool of the family’s sheep for their own consumption. In 1954, the Point IV Programme, which arose after the Second World War, taking advantage of the textile skills of the people, taught a group of Salasacas men to weave tapestries on treadle looms.
In the 1970s, this practice continued to be encouraged by the same program and by the “Peace Corps”, thus creating artisan workshops that produced and marketed tapestries. This artisan technique has worked for several years and is currently carried out by men and women; However, fewer and fewer people are dedicated to this trade. The raw materials used to make these objects are sheep’s wool and cotton. The sheep’s wool is obtained, spun and dyed by the craftsmen themselves, who then make the tapestries. The dyeing is done with natural dyes obtained from different plants in the sector and with aniline dyes.
The designs of the motifs can be elements of nature such as mountains or rivers, zoomorphic, phytomorphic, anthropomorphic, geometric and mixed motifs. These designs are formed on the loom by interweaving the threads. There are motifs that have become emblematic such as the three gossips, The Mama Tungurahua, The Dancing Salasaca, The Dancing Inca and The Inca calendar.
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