Q'ero Andean Lliklla Mestana Cloth - Andean Life

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Product Size: 25" L x 25" W

$200.00

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Fair Trade

Hand Made

Supports Indigenous Cultures

Traditional mestana cloth represents the rhythm of life and sacred creatures of the Andes. The wide blue stripes represent life-giving Pachamama, and the alternating rainbow stripes represent the balance of all things.

Woven of alpaca and sheep wool using natural dyes this cloth will hold your sacred mesa stones or display on your altar. Beautiful on both sides! Hand woven by the Q'ero of Peru.

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Dimensions

Size: 25" L x 25" W

Product Origin

Q'ero

Q'ero Nation of Peru
The Q'ero Nation is located a one day ride on horseback from the road to Paucartambo in Cusco and is the oldest in the Inca Tradition. They live 4,300 meters high in the Peruvian Andes. They grow and eat potatoes, such as olluco and oca. Children between the ages of 7-14 attend school. Medical assistance is scarce. They work and live as a community of 800 or so people. They marry among themselves and have kept their customs alive since Incan times.
The main activity of the Q'ero, besides agriculture, is weaving. They use natural dyes for their wool. Their techniques and designs are considered to be the closest to those of their ancestors. Their weavings have been displayed at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.
The Q'ero believe they are the last descendants of the Inca. According to tradition, their ancestors defended themselves from invading Spanish conquistadores with the aid of the local mountain deities (los Apus) which devastated the Spanish Army near Wiraquchapampa.
The religion of the Q'ero is syncretic, consisting of a mixture of European Christianity with elements of the traditional religion of the Andes. Shamans of different levels (e.g., Altumisayuq, Pampamisayuq) still have a high reputation. They worship Mother Nature (Pachamama) as well as other mountain spirits like Apu Ausangate and other regional deities.

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Mestana cloths are wonderful woven expressions of the Peruvian Andean weavers' worldview. Because many traditional weavers believe that all of creation is imbued with spirit, the patterns they weave into their textile goods also express this natural energy and spirit. A mestana cloth, (also sometimes mastana) is a hand-woven cloth that has both practical and esoteric purposes. These cloths are typically used to carry belongings, infants, and food. Because of recent publications about the weaving methods of native Peruvians and Bolivians, we now know more about how the textiles are made, usually from native fibers such as alpaca, sheep and llama wool; how the wool is spun into thread and yarn; how the yarn is wound, skeined, plied and dyed, some with natural colors, or synthetic colors or both. The various types of weaving loom used in making textile articles is another whole topic of study in and of itself, as are the weaving techniques, such as the complementary warp technique which produces a piece that is identical on its front and back sides, except for the delightful color reversal of the pattern. There is also a body of knowledge being developed as to how the skill of weaving and knowledge of patterns is passed on from generation to generation. More here on our blog: Mestana Weavings of Peru.