Tales and Textiles from Rainbow Mountain
Weaving the fabric of Peru: Timoteo Ccarita
As an astute traveler within the Aracari community, it’s likely you know of the magnificent hues of Peru’s Rainbow Mountain. Looming large over the surrounding landscape, its slopes are covered in a spectrum of shades, best witnessed at daybreak, when the dawn light catches all colors.
Yet in the glow of this otherworldly mountain, there are more multi-colored marvels to be discovered. Because for millennia, this part of Peru has been famed for its textiles. Today, that precious history is preserved by master craftspeople like Timoteo Ccarita, whose work is featured exclusively in Aracari’s online shop.
A neighbor to Rainbow Mountain itself, Timoteo, with his wife Benita, lives and works out of the town of Pitumarca. Sheep and camelid wool is sheered and gathered from local farmers, before being first spun into yarn by hand, until strong enough to tolerate the strains of weaving. It’s then dyed using locally sourced plants, minerals, or insects, or left in its natural shades.
As you might imagine, the weaving requires great skill, learned by ancient, indigenous knowledge passed down through generations. Made with a back strap loom, the yarn is painstakingly placed in position as the intricate motif designs are gradually brought to life over any hours of work. These complex patterns interpret ancient Andean cosmology: the observations of the stars, motifs evoking rituals, traditions, and customs including the Apus (mountains), the Pachamama (mother cosmos), teqsy muyo (mother earth), and auquis (spirits), among many others.
Aracari is proud to showcase a collection of Timoteo´s signature pieces. Blending 16th and 17th-century Spanish influences, with Inca traditions and techniques, has created heirloom-quality pieces to be proudly hung in hallways and greeting rooms all over the world. Exclusively available in our online shop, you can explore pieces of Timoteo’s work, and perhaps a one-of-a-kind textile could make its way to your home before the year is out.
The work of Timoteo could well stir wanderlust too. Our expert travel designers can build you a bespoke luxury vacation, taking in the spectacle of the majestic Rainbow Mountain and a private visit to some of the best weavers in the Andes, where you too can try your hand at this ancient technique.
All you need to do is ask. Whether it’s textiles or travel that has piqued your interest, let my team and I take care of every detail.
Happy travels, real or virtual.
Marisol Mosquera