South America

Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (CTTC) (Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco) is a non-profit organization that was established in 1996 by Andean weavers and their supporters. The mission of the center is to aid in the survival of Cusqueñan textile traditions and to provide support to the indigenous people who create them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the natural materials used to dye the alpaca wool.

The most interesting dye comes from cochineal, a tiny, parasitic scale insect that lives on prickly pear cacti, used to produce a brilliant, natural red.