A visit to the textile cooperative at Chinchero was an unexpected surprise for us all, a place where we were given a ‘hands on’ demonstration of the entire process involved in their textile production.
On arrival we were treated with a hot cup of mate to settle any altitude issues, very satisfying.
The group lined up to demonstrate the spinning process; one hand deftly twisting the strands of wool between their fingers and the other constantly spinning the spindle.
One of the women then proceeded to grate yuca into a bowl of water and hand mix it into a frothy solution prior to washing the dirty wool, the result was quite amazing. Apparently this solution is a great remedy in halting the graying process of our hair; I was quite prepared to offer my head to prove its worth! Yuca is a root vegetable and could best be described as the nearest thing to a woody version of a turnip with a quite bland taste.
Another woman then showed us the various plants, flowers and minerals that produce the various colours used in their dying process. The cochineal bug which grows on the cactus plant produces a vibrant red dye…
…and when salt is added to the boiling water is dramatically changes the colour of the wool.
Finally, a group of women demonstrated various methods of weaving the final product; some of the patterns and methods were so intricate and complicated yet carried out with such ease.
We had some time to inspect the array of the finished products and it was quite difficult to make up one’s mind of what one would like to purchase!
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