Spinning Yarn Spinning Stomach

SUNDAY:

It's our last day in Cusco, and we're celebrating that solemn reality with a weaving class at El Centro de Textiles Tradicionales de Cusco.

...Well, some of us are.

Yogurt Helps the Sickly, Right? (Sunday June 28, 2015)

Michael and Savannah have already fallen ill this trip, so I suppose it's only fair that some pesky contagion attack my own immune system before heading back to the United States (equality can be a real bummer sometimes). I was able to get through the first half of the weaving class, but had to head back to the hotel after our lunch break. This ailment does, however, allow me some time to write this blog and further study the research for my final essay.

Weaving Techniques (Sunday June 28, 2015)

For the time I was present during the class, I found weaving to be difficult. One may be able to point this out by simply examining the intricate designs (including the not-so-hidden mathematical patterns) woven in traditional Peruvian textiles, but having to sit down and twiddle your own fingers into the correct yarn apertures while concentrating on not dropping the wooden wedge that separates strings of color while also trying to ignore the fact that you really need to use the bathroom makes one realize how labor intensive and attention-consuming the Peruvian weaving tradition is.

On a different note, Savannah and I went shopping for souvenirs and the like yesterday evening and I discovered bargaining to be quite enjoyable. I don't know of the median prices for most of the store items here, so I never really know if I'm getting ripped off or not, but being able to knock off two or three soles convinces me of a semi-self-controlled barter. There was this one particular wind chime I purchased depicting a bird, feline, and serpent which the pre-Colombian cultures used as motifs in their textiles and pottery to represent the heavens, the earth, and the underworld, respectively. I believe everyone should apply knowledge of ancient cultures to their prospective wind chime choices.

Peruvian Shopping Spree (Sunday June 28, 2015)

Symbolic Wind Chime, My Personal Favorite (Sunday June 28, 2015)