Quechua guide and farmer
Middle of Nowhere, Lares Valley

  - Photo by Ashli Akins

Quechua girls learning the difference between "long" and "short" by choosing different-sized sticks in the mountains
Huilloc, Patakancha Valley

  - Photo by Ashli Akins

Weavers arriving at the annual dyeing ceremony. Because dyeing wool is such a long process, all of the communities gather once a year to dye large batches. Each year, the ceremony is located in the most rural community of the valley, about a five-hour drive in the communal pick-up from Ollantaytambo.
Kelkanca, Patakancha Valley (July 2)

  - Photo by Ashli Akins

Mother teaching her daughter how to choose the right Ñuñunca leaf, to dye the wool a vibrant yellow and green.
Kelkanca, Patakancha Valley

  - Photo by Ashli Akins

After the annual dyeing ceremony, the freshly tinted wool dries for hours in the sun.
Kelkanca, Patakancha Valley

  - Photo by Ashli Akins

Incan Fortress, 15th Century
Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley

  - Photo by Ashli Akins

Ancient Incan aquaduct, still used to carry drinking water from the glaciers to the town.
Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley

  - Photo by Ashli Akins

Textiles Revitalization School, a project of CATCCO, the valley's cultural museum. The school is a place for youth and elders to congregate and pass on the traditional knowledge.
Huilloc, Patakancha Valley

  - Photo by Ashli Akins

Young weavers at the Textiles Revitalization School
Huilloc, Patakancha Valley

  - Photo by Ashli Akins

Manta (tablerunner), Artist: Alfredo, Community: Chinchero. This manta takes approximately three weeks to weave on a backstrap loom.

Chalina (scarf or center table runner), Artist: Bertha Quispe, Community: Patakancha. Profits from this textile help support a textiles revitalization school built by the CATCCO Museum, an Andean Cultural Museum. Symbol: Llama, one of the most important animals of the Andes, used for wool, food, and packing.

Pasadizo (tapestry), Artist: Manano Fuentes, Community: Ocongate. This tapestry is made of natural alpaca wool without any dyes. This tapestry uses at least six of the 21 different colours of alpaca in the Sacred Valley. Profits from this weaving support the fair-trade and organic organization Casa Ecologica. Symbol: Heart: symbolizes the values of love and family.

Pasadizo (tapestry), Artist: Sasana Huanwasongo, Community: Bombom. Profits from this textile help support the fair-trade and organic organization Casa Ecologica. Symbol: Diamond symbolizes a lake, the mythical birthplace of the Quechua people. If there is something inside the lake, the lake is healthy and filled with vegetation.

Chullo (toque), Artist: anonymous, Community: Pacaritambo. This toque is made of undyed alpaca wool. Profits from this weaving support the fair-trade and organic organization Casa Ecologica. Symbol: Incan Cross (or the southern cross): a constellation of the South American skies, also a religious symbol of the mystical Andean beliefs.

4 Balls of alpaca yarn (1/3 kilogram each)

• White - undyed wool
• Yellow - pigment from Yanali, a native bark
• Red - pigment from the cochineal bug
• Green - pigment from Kimsa c'ucho, a native leaf

Chalina (scarf), Artist: anonymous, Community: Pacaritambo. This scarf is made of pure undyed alpaca wool. Profits from this weaving support the fair-trade and organic organization Casa Ecologica. Symbols: Inti, the Sun Goddess, and Condor: the god of the upper world. In the trilogy of the Incas, there are three gods for the three worlds: the Serpent, god of the underworld; Puma, god of the middle world; and Condor.