BT – Chinchero

The final stop on the tour was to see a weaving and dyeing display in the town of Chinchero (somewhere around S 13°23.6′, W 72°3′). Again this was a mix of education, culture and advertising, but among many other things we learned what natural materials give rise to different coloured dyes for wool.

Apparently there is a particular tuber that yields a soap that is good for shampooing … and washing yarn prior to dyeing.

A particularly interesting demonstration allowed me, finally, to learn what a cochineal beetle looks like, and how it is crushed and prepared for its use in dyeing. I knew of its rich red colouration, and its value because of this; what I hadn’t realised was that the beetle is an unprepossessing white scab-looking thing that lives on prickly pears. The reason for my special interest was because one of my convict ancestors was transported to Australia from England as a convict over 170 years ago, for being found in possession of 10000 of these beetles, which — presumably — were not his!

We also got to see the weaving process; if memory serves the cloth below is being made from llama wool, which hasn’t been dyed, because llama wool comes in a variety of natural greys, browns, blacks, and creams.

There were some lovely fabrics on display and my newly-identified enthusiasm for textiles was sorely tempted by some of the things on offer.