In the middle of the Atacama Desert, in northern Chile, the colors and patterns of Aymara textiles are inspired by the land that is considered sacred.
Tefila Challapa weaves on her loom at home in Cariquima, Chile, Monday, July 31, 2023. Challapa, 59, prays before beginning her work: Mother Earth, give me strength, because you're the one who will produce, not me." – In northern Chile, Teófila Challapa learned to weave surrounded by the hills and sandy roads of the Atacama Desert.Aymara women like Challapa, now 59, become acquainted with wool threads under blue skies and air so thin that outsiders struggle to breathe.
Among the 3 million Aymaras who live along the borders of Chile, Perú and Bolivia, the Earth is known as “Pachamama.” Homages and rituals requesting her blessings are intertwined in everyday life.Pachamama offers Challapa inspiration for her textiles, connections to ancestors and her cultural identity. It provides means for survival, too.Her alpacas and llamas were a source of meat, wool and company during the tough years she spent raising her children as a single mother.
“We make offerings hoping for good seeds and crops, welfare for our animals and rain,” Choque said. “Then we turn to the moon and the stars. Our grandparents told us that those are the souls of our ancestors, who look at us from above.” “My aksu is not a suit,” Choque said. “It’s a part of me. When I was little, I wore mine daily, until I had to wear a uniform for school.”Aymara craftswomen shear their animals in October, when the weather is milder. Their llamas keep a few inches of wool to keep them warm and ready for the “floreo.” During this ancient ritual celebrated in February, Aymaras tie wool flowers and pompoms to their camelids identifying them as their property and thanking Pachamama for abundance.
Progress, though, is bittersweet. “I taught my daughters how to weave just like me, but now that they have other jobs, they don’t weave anymore,” Marcelina Choque said.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Inspired by llamas, the desert and Mother Earth, these craftswomen weave sacred textilesIn the middle of the Atacama Desert, in northern Chile, the colors and patterns of Aymara textiles are inspired by the land that is considered sacred.
Leer más »
Inspired by llamas, the desert and Mother Earth, these craftswomen weave sacred textilesIn the middle of the Atacama Desert, in northern Chile, the colors and patterns of Aymara textiles are inspired by the land that is considered sacred.
Leer más »
'May December' Trailer Unravels Mary Kay Letourneau-Inspired StoryJulianne Moore and Natalie Portman face off in the tense drama about a teacher's relationship with her young student.
Leer más »
Nissan Concept 20-23 is a racing-inspired electric hot hatchCreated to celebrate the 20th birthday of Nissan's London design studio, the 20-23 concept is an electric hot hatch inspired by racing.
Leer más »
It Lives Inside Director Bishal Dutta On Merging Teen Drama With Culturally-Inspired HorrorIt Lives Inside is in theaters now.
Leer más »