Antiguo Unkuna – Decorated Despacho Cloth

$65.00

In stock

These cloths carry sacred importance to the Q’ero people. They bundle sacred coca leaves in these traditional carry cloths. Women tuck them in their waist belts. Men carry them in their coca bags. They also carry warm potatoes wrapped in these cloths when herding llamas and alpacas across the steep Andean mountainsides. This traditional weaving style was at risk of being lost until westerners began buying them. This inner cloth has been used to carry potatoes or sacred stones. It has been ironed to restore its shape, but is missing the bottom border. It measures square 10 x 10 inches.  25 x 26 cm.

Learn how your purchase helps the Q’ero people: Q’ero Life in the Andes: A Partnership.
To learn more about Q’ero weaving and watch them spin and weave, watch this brief video: Weaving in the Q’ero Nation.