Textiles and History of Cusco

       Today we visited the Centure of Textile Traditions of Cusco and Museo Historica Regional. Both of these provided us with lots of useful information concerning the history of Cusco and the significance behind Andean textiles.        Andean textiles have been a tradition since ancient times, and the continuation of these are still passed down from generations today. The designs are based upon the weaver's experiences, understanding of the world, history, and their own memories to create a "pallay". A pallay consists of all warp patterns. Several designs in these are either specific to personal expressions or their own communities. I was fascinated to know that children start weaving textiles at the age of 6 and continue this for the rest of their lives. They tend to produce their highest quality during their adolescence years during the ages of 12-20. Textiles are a huge part of Andean everyday life including marriage ceremonies, agriculture, offering ceremonies, festivals, and clothing. Future prospects, which are young children, are held responsible for learning from their grandparents so they can continue these traditions for future generations. http://www.textilescusco.org/eng/         Museo Historica Regional provided us with information regarding to the history of Cusco. In 1532, the Spanish expedition entered Peru, which was also during a civil war fought between two brothers, Waskar and Atahuallpa. After Waskar was defeated by his brother, the Inka Atawallpa was captured in Cajamarca by the Spanish. Then he was killed himself by the Spanish, and thus came the end of the Inca Empire. There were also exhibits including the Gastronomia and Evangelization of Cusco. It also made a particular focus on the Inca's last descendant, Tupaq Amaru II. One of the most important events was Amaru's Rebellion, in which he was betrayed, captured, and then brutally executed on the main square in Cusco's Plaza de Armas.         Another interesting aspect of the museum was the small descriptions of Andean textile art. These textiles are symmetrical in a systematic way, and are specifically woven by a distinct design and composition.  These textiles are a representation of a mixture of the past and present, and also the realistic and the symbolic. The imagery and symbolism shown throughout these textiles include naturalistic, figurative, and abstract elements. Also represented in the textiles are Tupaq himself. The particular image used is the representation of his quartering. It's amazing to see the differences in the differences in these textiles and the oil paintings seen in the museum. Notice my picture at the bottom of the blog is the exact spot where this occurred. Execution of Tupaq II

{sideways} textile representation of Tupac
 At the end of the museum, there was also a current exhibit which contained paintings for sale. These are a few I enjoyed the most.
 http://www.arqueotur.org/yacimientos/museo-historico-regional-del-cusco.htmlAgain, Cusco so far has been full of gorgeous views and an amazing new atmosphere. We also got to enjoy the Plaza again today, and the new sites we encountered on our trips to the Museums.