The West Surrey Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers

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2008 - Recent Speakers

Janice Lawrence - October 2008 Meeting

Janice Lawrence and her husband first went to Peru some ten years ago and Janice was, in her own words, "blown away by the place". Although her main interest at the time was embroidery, she soon became interested in Peruvian textiles generally.

To set the scene,   Janice showed us images of the Peruvian landscape. She reminded us of the geography of Peru. The Andes, being the second highest mountain range on earth, form the central backbone of Peru. To the east larger rivers flow through highlands and valleys down to the Amazon Basin. To the west there are shorter rivers creating fertile oases amidst the stony desert of the coastal strip. It is in the desert areas that the largest finds of ancient textiles have been made as the hot and dry climate helps to preserve them. Cotton was cultivated in the coastal areas and came in natural shades of beiges and browns. It was used for textiles as early as 3000 BC, whereby the oldest pieces were twined or looped rather than woven.

Very few dyes were used. The earliest surviving texiles found inland were discovered in a cave high up the mountainside. These were made of vegetable fibres. When camelid fibres from wild llamas, alpacas and vicunas began to be used , textile production changed greatly and many more natural dyes were introduced.  Some ancient textiles show as many as 180 different colours.  Llama fibres, being coarser, were used for blankets. Alpaca produced a finer cloth for garments.  Vicuna was expensive and was the priviledge of the nobility. Well preserved adobe buildings in dry areas also yielded many textile treasures, including small figures showing people engaged in everyday activities.

Weavers were important in ancient Peru, so were spinners and dyers. Evidence of this can be found in representations on textiles and pottery and in frescoes on buildings. They lived in special quarters and when they died, their weaving equipment was buried with them in bell-shaped graves.  On the Paracas Peninsula many such graves from the pre-Hispanic era have been discovered, containing mummy bundles full of textiles - dozens or even hundreds of them - wrapped around mummified bodies.

Early Peruvian textiles were woven on horizontal ground looms or backstrap looms, rarely vertical looms. A piece of pottery from the north coast Chimu culture (1000-1500 AD) shows an upright loom. Vertical looms became more popular after the Spanish Conquest. Cloth was woven to size and a continuous warp was used, resulting in four selvages The Spanish also introduced the treadle loom and sheep

Although textiles were greatly valued in pre-Hispanic times, they became less highly regarded in later centuries. It is only relatively recently that an interest in ancient Peruvian textiles has been revived and money has become available for research and preservation.

Janice Lawrence brought along a selection of Peruvian textiles for her audience to handle and admire, along with a few examples of her own framed embroideries inspired by Peruvian textiles.