minimalist tapestry

Three women talk together, their quiet conversation excluding everyone else. Wide brimmed hats and long, graceful skirts are traditional garb in the chill highlands. Working in handloomed virgin wool, Walter Paucar Velarde captures the essence of an Andean scene. The stylized line and bright color make this tapestry a contemporary classic.

Titled "Campesinas de los Andes" in Spanish.

Warmed by colorful ponchos, Peruvian chalanes ride the world-famous Trujillo horses. The riders are known for their elegant attire, which feature embroidered linen ponchos, white trousers and shirts, as well as black belt and boots. The women wear colorful skirts adorned by fine embroidery. They inspired the costumes worn by the Peruvian national Olympic team in 2004. Raúl Ulloa Baylon honors these skilled and elegant riders in a hand-loomed wool tapestry in the weaving tradition of the San Pedro de las Cajas.

Titled "Los chalanes" in Spanish.

Zosimo Laura evokes the bold geometry of the Nazca Plain, intricately portrayed in hand-loomed wool. Mirror images in ochre and orange find a home on velvet black. The mysterious lines of Nazca depict abstract shapes, animal and bird figures. Probably the best-known geoglyphs in the world, they can be seen in their entirety only from the air.

Titled "Figuras de Nazca" in Spanish.

Inspired by wintry landscapes in the Andes, Cerapio Vallejo depicts birds of wondrous plumage inhabiting bare tree branches. Fluttering hummingbirds accompany the nesting birds, as Vallejo draws their image on a pedal loom. Finished by hand, this colorful allegory to a Peruvian winter is ideal for a home of good taste.

A group of women wrap themselves in colorfully woven cloths, protecting themselves from the fierce cold of the highlands. They traverse an imagined Andean landscape, taking advantage of the dwindling daylight as sunset descends upon mountainous terrain. Raul Ulloa weaves this tapestry by hand, its natural textures emanating profound Peruvian spirit.

Titled "Caminantes en el atardecer" in Spanish.

The Nazca petroglyphs remain an irresolvable mystery, inspiring Teofilo Choquecahua to design this stunning tapestry with the famed hummingbird. Now regarded Patrimony of Humanity the Nazca lines, as they are also known, are thought to have been some form of calendar for this pre-Inca civilization. Choquecahua weaves the brown and yellow tapestry on a traditional pedal loom with a cotton warp in the legendary Ayacucho style.

Title "Vuelo" in Spanish.