Chinchero

Today I traveled out to Chinchero with Nilda and her esposo (husband) for the Festival happening today. When we arrived, the CTTC’s weavers were assembled (as they are basically 7 days a week) in the Chinchero HQ’s courtyard. I got to meet her Mama and many of the weavers she grew up learning from or weaving with. They were decked out in traditional garb [picture!!] and had wares for sale, were working on warps in various states of progress tied to posts around the yard, were spinning piles of roving with drop spindles, and in the back of the court yard, a gigantic pot sat on a wood fire stove simmering yarn with natural dye flowers. Natural dyes are like a magnet for me…. As soon as I noticed the pot, I headed straight towards it. On the stone wall across from the cooking stoves were bowls with piles of natural dyestuffs, and a few mordants as well (as of yet unidentified, but my guess is lime, alum and salt). There was also a stick with big skeins of yarn on it in various shades of red (cochineal), orange (lichen), yellow (the dye pot on the stove at that moment), green, blue-green, purple, and blue (indigo). I was in heaven. A woman came over to stir the giant cauldron and I tried asking questions of her… the answers I only understood a part of, but it was enough to get the gist of which plants made which colors, and which was in the pot at that moment. What was really interesting was later, after I’d gotten back from the festival, I offered to help the woman from earlier (who never did give me her name even though I asked) wash out the yarn. It had big chunks of flowers in it!! I sat there, picking flower bits out, wondering if they hadn’t thought to put the dyestuff in a nylon mesh bag, and my thoughts were interrupted by the woman telling me to Shake the yarn…. I have dyed with things (black walnuts and annatto to name a couple) where I had to shake the skeins to get all the particulates out, however I never found it particularly pleasant. I’m sure the overhead of purchasing a cheap giant bolt of nylon mesh (for pantyhose) would be worth it for the time they save picking out flower bits? I may mention it at some point…







Upon arrival I was told that Chinchero usually has a big Sunday market, but that they moved it to the festival grounds today. So once I’d seen Nilda’s house and the Center’s HQ, Clara (the awesome Canadian working with the CTTC) and I went off to the festival! They had pens of animals (including giant pigs and cuy (guinea pigs), food vendors cooking over wood stoves, more textiles that you could shake a stick at, booths for utensils (at one of which I got myself a drop spindle!), stands exhibiting competition weavings and potatos, and a big ring for the dances. I only got to see a few dances as I am so short that I got crowded out and couldn’t see over everyone else, but they were beautiful and full of color. As I understand it, all the children in Chinchero form groups, choreograph dances, choose costumes, and compete at this festival. After I decided I was done with the dancing for a while, I went back to the CTTC’s stand at the festival and asked one of the spinners if she could show me how to spin. Spinning was one of those things I learned a few times at MICA, but never did enough of to really get good at it. Today I started from scratch, learning from some of the best spinners in the world (they are good enough to spin thin yarn that stands up to being pulled taut as warp thread, so it my estimation, this ranks them the best. I’ve never met a hand-spun yarn I’d use as a warp until I saw what these women do). One of them grabbed a chunk of llama yarn that had been set aside as unsuitable for spinning, told me I could have it if I wanted it, and when I nodded, she showed me how to begin. And then how they spin (which is to almost overspin). I spent some time on it before getting food, and after getting food, being stuffed with more food by the weavers.







After lunch, Clara and I headed back to the center—she had a warp to work on and I wanted out of the sun, because I was starting to feel the elevation and needed a break (in actuality I spent the afternoon spinning, and am now better than aweful). Right before I left, I stopped at a booth I had noticed earlier that had hats. I bought the most beautiful felt blocked wide brimmed hat… but left it in the taxi on my way to San Blas due to my splitting headache, and now I am sad and frustrated with myself. The headache has since gone away (due to 4 ibuprophine) which is the upside. It’s my belief it was caused by my going off the altitude meds. Le sigh.