Aymara textiles

Description

The Aymara people belong to the cultures originating from South America that live between western Bolivia, southeastern Peru, northern Chile and northwest Argentina.

In Chile they have lived in the regions of Arica and Parinacota and Tarapacá and Antofagasta, in the mountains and high valleys of the foothills and in the low valleys and cities of northern Chile.

The textile tradition has been rooted in the Aymara people since pre-Hispanic times and has characterized their culture for more than 900 years in this area. The knowledge linked to this art has been transmitted historically and has preserved the patterns that identify it.

Today two textile production lines coexist, the traditional one and the innovative one, more focused on the market.

Among traditional textiles are garments used in clothing and domestic items. Among them the Axo, the lijllia, fajas, incuñas, ponchos, panamantas, culebrillas, costales, chuspas.

For these fabrics, yarn made from alpaca or llama fibers and some sheep wool that are raised in the highlands by the Aymara community members themselves are used as raw materials. Two types of traditional looms are used for weaving depending on their structure and design. The backstrap loom and the 4-stake loom. Their designs respond to patterns that preserve images, colors and symbols passed down by generations that identify their ancestral culture.  Many of these are still used ritually by communities.

Among current textiles, there is a great diversity of shawls, ruanas, foot covers, woven in alpaca hair, on 2 or 4 stake looms, mostly in plain, natural colors or dyed with natural or synthetic dyes. These garments are widely accepted in the current market due to the value provided by the fineness of the alpaca fiber.

EnglishAymara textiles

The Aymara people belong to the original cultures of South America that inhabit western Bolivia, southeastern Peru, northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. In Chile, they have lived in the regions of Arica and Parinacota and Tarapacá and Antofagasta, in the highlands and high valleys of the foothills and in the low valleys and cities of northern Chile. The textile tradition has been rooted in the Aymara people since pre-Hispanic times and has characterized their culture for more than 900 years in this area. The knowledge linked to this art has been transmitted historically and has preserved the patterns that identify it.

Today, two lines of textile production coexist, traditional and innovative, more focused on the market. Among the traditional textiles are garments for clothing and domestic use. Among them are the Axo, the "lijllia", sashes, incuñas, ponchos, panamantas, culebrillas, costales, "chuspas". The raw material used for these weavings is alpaca or llama fiber yarn and some sheep's wool, which is raised on the altiplano by the Aymara villagers themselves. Two types of traditional looms are used for weaving, depending on their structure and design. The backstrap loom and the four-stake loom.

Their designs respond to patterns that preserve images, colors and symbols passed down through generations that identify their ancestral culture.  Many of these are still used ritually by the communities. Among the current textiles, there is a great diversity of shawls, shawls, ruanas, and bed covers, woven in alpaca hair, in looms of 2 or 4 stakes, mostly in plain colors, natural or dyed with natural or synthetic dyes. These garments have a great acceptance in the current market due to the value provided by the elegance of the alpaca fiber.