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Chinchero

To get to the Sacred Valley I flew from Lima, on the west coast of Peru, to Cusco, in southeastern Peru. From there, I traveled by bus for about an hour to Chinchero, a small Andean village just 28 km (17 mi) away. The first stop was the Center for Weavers of Chinchero (Centro de Tejedoras Chinchero; Awayricch' arichiq). Chinchero, the "birthplace of the rainbow", as it was known by the Incas, has a community of women weavers. Here, Quechua-speaking women demonstrated traditional Andean textile weaving techniques and the making of natural dyes using plants, insects (cochineal) and minerals. Plant diversity is high in the Andes and the use of the native flora by the Andean people is varied and vast. Plants are used for dying wool, food, medicines, crafts, construction, and commerce. Some of the plants used for making natural dyes include quico, qolle, molle, nogal, ch'illca, awaypili, tara, indigo and lichen. Since the late 1970's, Chinchero weavers have promoted the preservation of Peruvian Inca textiles and weaving traditions by making hand woven goods. Textiles in the village of Chinchero are woven on backstrap looms using natural fibers (i.e., sheep, alpaca and llama wool) and natural dyes. And, you can purchase textile goods from the women who make them and help the local economy. The Chinchero weavers are members of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco. The Center works with nine regional communities to preserve unique ancestral techniques and patterns in their textiles. The Center’s purpose is to help preserve and celebrate Andean textiles, improve the economy of the weaving communities by selling quality textile goods and assist weavers in carrying on a tradition practiced for more than 2000 years.

The next stop was the crafts market in the main square of Chinchero. It was Sunday and the market was really bustling. The market offers all sorts of handicrafts, woolen craft goods including arpilliras (charming appliqués, created by women and children from scraps of cloth, depicting scenes of village life), and local fruits and vegetables from the valley. The colorful sights, sounds, and smells of the market still linger with me today.

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Cusco Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu