The Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco () was founded by indigenous weavers from the community of Chinchero as well as international supporters in 1996 as a non-profit organization. It is based out of the city of Cusco, Peru where its main offices, museum and shop are located. The CTTC works in support of indigenous weavers from the Cusco region to recover traditional Cusqueñan textiles. The organization currently partners with ten communities from the Cusco region: Accha Alta, Acopia, Chahuaytire, Chinchero, Huacatinco, Mahuaypampa, Patabamba, Pitumarca, Santa Cruz de Sallac, and Santo Tomas (Chumbivilcas).
Mission and vision The CTTC's mission is to "promote the empowerment of weavers through the sustainable practice of Peruvian ancestral textile traditions in the Cusco region. This enables the weavers to maintain their identity and textile traditions while improving their quality of life through workshops, opportunities, and the promotion of their textile art." The CTTC's aim is to revive Pre-Columbian textile traditions and provide support to weaving communities.
Due to racism, colonialism, poverty, and more, textile traditions in the Cusco region were in danger of disappearing during the 20th century. In the Andes, textiles are an important part of everyday life and a key component of local culture. This ancient way of life, passed down for thousands of years from generation to generation, has been at risk since the days of the Conquest. Traditional textiles were such a strong symbol of indigenous identity and resistance to colonial rule, that the Spanish outlawed their creation and use. Despite this, the people of the Andes continued practicing their textile traditions until the 20th century. Under pressure from changes brought about by globalization, including the introduction of chemical dyes and fibers, traditional textiles experienced a dramatic decline in the 1900s.
Since 1996, the CTTC has worked to empower weavers and achieve its vision "To place the weaver of ancestral textiles as a recognized global artist, forging a just recognition by society and assuring the continuity of the ancestral textile practice."
History Since the 1960s, an informal group of women weavers from the community of Chinchero gathered together to revive textile traditions and earn an independent income from male relatives through the sale of their textiles in the tourist market. When the husband and wife pair of ethnobotnists Christine and Ed Franquemont arrived in Chinchero in the 1970s to conduct research, they encouraged the weavers to continue their community organizing work. With the support of the Franquemonts and other international friends, the group of weavers founded a cultural center in Chinchero. When this cultural center failed, the weavers re-organized under the leadership of Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez to found the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (CTTC).
The CTTC was founded in 1996 as a non-profit organization registered with APCI in Peru by weavers from Chinchero and their international supporters. Key founders of the CTTC include: Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, Elizabeth and David Van Buskirk, Maria Tocco, Christine and Ed Franquemont, Yolanda Jaime Callañaupa, Yenny Callañaupa, Flora Callañaupa de Hendrickson, Betty Doerr, and Tim Wells, amongst many others. The CTTC originally partner with a handful of communities in the Cusco region to revive textile traditions, including the communities of Accha Alta, Chahuaytire, Chinchero and Pitumarca. Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez has served as director of CTTC since 1996. The board of directors includes: Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, Flora Callañaupa de Hendrickson, Yolanda Jaime Callañaupa, Hilda Roque Perez, Miriam Luna, and Betty Doerr.
Until 2001 the CTTC was run out of the basement of the home of Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez. After an extensive capital campaign, the CTTC purchased and remodeled a building on Av. Sol 603, Cusco, Perú to house its offices, museum, and store.
In 2010 the CTTC held Tinkuy 2010: Gathering of Weavers, an international conference that gathered together indigenous weavers, textile artists, art historians, anthropologists and others to discuss and share textile traditions from around th world. In 2013, CTTC organized the second Tinkuy titled Tinkuy 2013: Gathering of Weavers.
The weaving associations The CTTC has partnered with ten communities from the Cusco region: Accha Alta, Acopia, Chahuaytire, Chinchero, Huacatinco, Mahuaypampa, Patabamba, Pitumarca, Santa Cruz de Sallac, and Santo Tomas (Chumbivilcas). In each community the weavers have formed autonomous weaving associations, each registered with the Peruvian government. Each weaving association is self-governed through elected officials (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer), who are elected once a year. Each weaving association determines its own rules and regulates member participation.
In each community the CTTC has built a weaving center for the associations where the weavers can gather to meet and work. The weaving centers are composed of a central grassy courtyard for weaving in good weather while the surrounding complex of buildings are used for weaving in poor weather conditions, meetings, and include space for storage and a kitchen. Each association gathers once a week in their weaving center to work and organize.
Accha Alta
Association: "Centro de Tejedores Munay Pallay Awaqkuna de Accha Alta"
Community: Accha Alta
District: Calca
Province: Calca
Region: Cusco
Accha Alta is located approximately 2 hours northeast of the city of Cusco. Nestled on a steep mountain slope next to the ruins of Ankasmarka, an ancient Incan granary, this remote mountain community looks out over the valley below. Most people in Accha Alta only speak Quechua, the local indigenous language, and rely on their chakras (fields) to produce much of the food they need for their families. At 12,930 feet above sea level, very few crops grow in the thin mountain air except for potatoes and other tubers. Accha Alta is well known for its many potato varieties and people from as far away as Cusco come to buy Accha Alta potatoes.
The community of Accha Alta began working with the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco in 1998. In the beginning almost all of the association members knew how to weave, but solely used synthetic fibers. Since 1998, the weavers have returned to using natural materials, which includes natural dyes in sheep, alpaca, and llama wool. Accha Alta weavers are very proud of their traditions, and place emphasis on the young weavers, ensuring that their traditions are carried on into the future. There are approximately 40 adult members in Accha Alta's weaving association and 35 children.
Accha Alta textiles are recognized for their thin sections of plain weave and wide designs in the ley (supplementary warp) technique. Traditional textiles from Accha Alta are white and red. Common designs include patterns of lakes, which are represented as diamonds, for example, wasqa qocha, or long lakes. Accha Alta textile artists manage a number of techniques, including: backstrap weaving in the ley technique, backstrap weaving in the doble cara technique, knitting (including the Qhurpus knitting technique), sling braiding, rope braiding, the tubular border weaving chichilla, and the crotcheted stitch known as kumpay used on the edges of textiles.
Acopia
Association: "Centro de Tejedores Cuatro Lagunas de Acopia"
Community: Acopia
District: Acopia
Province: Acomayo
Region: Cusco
Acopia is located about two hours south of the city of Cusco in an area known as the Four Lakes, or land of Valicha after a popular huayno (folk song). The four high mountain lakes provide sustenance to local people who rely on them for fishing and irrigation for their fields. Acopia is located on the banks of the third and smallest lake.
The weaving tradition in Acopia nearly disappeared completely as the younger generation did not continue in the footsteps of their elders. The CTTC began working with Acopia in 2006, helping the elders pass on their knowledge to younger generations. There are approximately 30 adult members in Acopia's weaving association and 20 children.
Traditional Acopia blankets are woven with many thin designs in the doble cara (two sided warp-faced) technique. A distinguishing design from the community is organo q’enqo, a zig-zag pattern.
Chahuaytire
Association: "Centro de Tejedores Inka Pallay de Chahuaytire"
Community: Chahuaytire
District: Pisac
Province: Calca
Region: Cusco
Chahuaytire is located in the mountains above the valley town of Pisaq approximately 25 miles north of the city of Cusco. There is an Incan trail that leads from the lowlands near Písac to the highlands of Chahuaytire that has been in use since pre-Columbian times. Chahuaytire weavers care for flocks of alpaca, llama and sheep higher in the mountains around their community. The CTTC began working with Chahuaytire in 1999. There are approximately 35 adult members in Chahauytire's weaving association and 40 children.
Chahuaytire weavers are well known locally for the high quality of their weavings. Their compact warp-faced weave, careful colour combinations, and detail to border finishes make Chahuaytire textiles some of the finest in the Cusco region. Chahuaytire weavers use both the doble cara (complementary warp) and ley (supplementary warp) techniques to create wide designs. Traditional textiles from Chahauytire are dark maroon and white. Designs are woven in dark marroon or purple on white backgrounds, while plain weave pampa sections are modulations of varying hues in dark purple. maroon and/or black. Chahuaytire weavers are experts in color combination, and modulate color tones in non-traditional textiles. A common design from Chahuaytire is tika qocha, lake with flowers, which often features on blankets and ponchos. Chahauytire blankets are characterized by their unique star, or rose, stitch which unites the two sides of the blanket.
Chinchero
Association: "Asociación de Tejedores Awayriqcharicheq de Chinchero"
Community: Chinchero
District: Chinchero
Province: Urubamba
Region: Cusco
Chinchero is known as the ‘birthplace of the rainbow’ and is located on a high plain 45 minutes outside the city of Cusco. The town of Chinchero is composed of smaller communities, including: Cuper Bajo, Cuper Alto, Huaypo, Yanacona, and others. Chinchero is located on the road between Cusco and Urubamba, which means that thousands of tourists pass through Chinchero en route from the airport in Cusco to the famed ruins of Machu Picchu beyond Urubamba. Many tourists stop in Chinchero to visit the ruins of the summer residence of Inca Tupac Yupanqui and to witness the town's weaving tradition. Since the CTTC began its work in the textile field, many other small textile centers have emerged in Chinchero and the town has become increasingly commercial.
The Chinchero weaving association was the founding association of CTTC in 1996. There are approximately 40 adult members in the Chinchero weaving association and 40 children. Since the 1960s until today, the Association "Asociación de Tejedores Awayriqcharicheq de Chinchero" (not to be confused with the many other textile centers in Chinchero that sprung up afterward), has succeeded in bringing weaving to the forefront of their community. The town of Chinchero is known internationally as a prominent Andean weaving community where efforts to revive traditions have also revitalized the town itself.
As Chinchero is located on a major tourist byway, the weavers of the Chinchero weaving association offer demonstrations to visiting tourists and run a small store in their weaving center.
Huacatinco
Association "Asociación de Tejedores Wiñay Awaqkuna de Huacatinco"
Community: Huacatinco
District: Ocongate
Province: Quispicanchis
Region: Cusco