Inspired by llamas, the desert and Mother Earth, these craftswomen weave sacred textiles

Inspired by llamas, the desert and Mother Earth, these craftswomen weave sacred textiles

“Spin the threads, girl,” her grandmother told her a half a century ago. Aymara women like Challapa, now 59, become acquainted with wool threads under blue skies and air so thin that outsiders struggle to breathe. While herding llamas and alpacas through scarce grasslands 11,500 feet above sea level, they create their first textiles. “We had no clothes or money, so we needed to learn how to dress with our own hands,” said Challapa, sitting next …

Inspired by llamas, the desert and Mother Earth, these craftswomen weave sacred textiles

By MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ Associated Press COLCHANE, Chile (AP) — In northern Chile, Teófila Challapa learned to weave surrounded by the hills and sandy roads of the Atacama Desert. “Spin the threads, girl,” her grandmother told her a half a century ago. Aymara women like Challapa, now 59, become acquainted with wool threads under blue skies and air so thin that outsiders struggle to breathe. While herding llamas and alpacas through scarce grass…

Inspired by llamas, the desert and Mother Earth, these craftswomen weave sacred textiles

By MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ Associated Press COLCHANE, Chile (AP) — In northern Chile, Teófila Challapa learned to weave surrounded by the hills and sandy roads of the Atacama Desert. “Spin the threads, girl,” her grandmother told her a half a century ago. Aymara women like Challapa, now 59, become acquainted with wool threads under blue skies and air so thin that outsiders struggle to breathe. While herding llamas and alpacas through scarce grass…

Inspired by llamas, the desert and Mother Earth, these craftswomen weave sacred textiles

In the middle of the Atacama Desert, in northern Chile, the colors and patterns of Aymara textiles are inspired by the land that is considered sacred. The craftswomen learn the

Inspired by llamas, the desert and Mother Earth, these craftswomen weave sacred textiles

COLCHANE, Chile (AP) -- In northern Chile, Teofila Challapa learned to weave surrounded by the hills and sandy roads of the Atacama Desert.

Inspired by llamas, the desert and Mother Earth, these craftswomen weave sacred textiles

Tefila Challapa weaves on her loom at home in Cariquima, Chile, Monday, July 31, 2023. Challapa, 59, prays before beginning her work: Mother Earth, give me strength, because youre the one who will produce, not me. (AP Photo/Ignacio Munoz) (Ignacio Munoz / Associated Press) Inspired by llamas, the desert and Mother Earth, these craftswomen weave sacred textiles MARA TERESA HERNNDEZ Sept. 28, 2023 In northern Chile, Tefila Challa…