Our first stop as we ventured from Cusco to Ollantaytambo through Peru’s Sacred Valley was the small town of Chinchero. Our driver took us to a site overlooking the Chinchero archeological site. You’ll quickly notice the terraces that formed the base of many Incan communities.
We visited a collective composed of several families, and more specifically, women, that weaved and sold their traditional textiles. We were given a wonderful overview of the process in which these women hand craft these amazingly exquisite textiles. A manta generally takes one month to complete from start to finish—beginning with the cleaning process of the alpaca or lamb wool.
Chemicals or industrial dyes are not used to create the rich, colorful textiles. Rather, the Chinchera women use all natural specimens such as leaves, corn and other plants to dye their hand washed alpaca and lamb wool.
Chinchero is a great stop on one’s way to Ollantaytambo. Chinchero is also an easy day trip from Cusco–as it’s less than an hour’s drive. And although we didn’t explore the archeological site, if you have a bit more time that might be a worth the extra time spent in Chinchero. There is also a traditional market in the center of town.
Traveling Fern 