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In Chincero, a town in the Peruvian Andes which in ancient times served as a way station along the Inca Road, a young woman noticed that few people her age were learning the traditional method of weaving which had been practiced there for generations. Concerned that this rich legacy would be lost to modernity, Nilda Callañaupa mastered weaving Andean-style with a backstrap loom—then began teaching the method to others.
In 1996, she helped establish the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC), whose mission is to preserve and promote the indigenous Andean weaving traditions. Now director of CTTC, Callañaupa has organized collectives in nine towns, which support about 400 weavers, and helps to market their works for a fair price. CTTC has also established a permanent exhibit and gallery to represent the weavers in Cuzco. Callanaupa was born in Chinchero, Peru in 1960 and received her Master’s degree in Tourism from the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Del Cusco in 1997. She speaks her native Quechua along with Spanish and English. She has taught numerous Andean weaving workshops, given lectures and participated in many conferences in the United States since 1970. The Interweave Press book Weaving in the Peruvian Andes: Dreaming Patterns, Weaving Memories explains how the textiles of Perú reflect the heritage of the Inca and represent the geography and history of their mountain birthplaces.
