Traditional Textiles of the Andes: Life and Cloth in the Highlands

The Andean Mountains are home to a rich heritage of textile design and weaving. In particular, cloth has traditionally been a significant art form and cultural vehicle of the Aymara and Quechua peoples of Peru. Published in association with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco to accompany an exhibition at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, this work presents 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century indigenous textiles woven by the Aymara and Quechua. The elaborately patterned pieces are all drawn from the Jeffrey Appleby Collection and include everyday and ceremonial textiles of all types - ponchos, skirts, belts, hats and slings. Accompanying essays address topics such as the long history of fibres, dyes, imagery and textile use in the region and the effects of uranization and westernization on traditional Andean weaving.