handcrafted

Designed by Kathiana Quispe, this Peruvian sling makes an excellent companion on your journeys. It is handcrafted of leather in black and red with Inca-style embossed designs, resembling a saddle bag that drapes over the shoulder on an adjustable strap. A colorful wool panel accents the front flap, which opens with a buckle to reveal a small pocket in front of a larger main compartment.

Henry and Carlos assign an Inca hummingbird to guard this wallet and the riches within. For women, the wallet is handcrafted of quality in a rich brown hue with a coin purse on the back and four compartments for bills inside. Featuring an ID window, the handcrafted wallet features 10 slots for credit and business cards, including on both sides of the flap within. Finally, there's one more all-purpose compartment slightly bigger than the standard card size.

Inca-inspired patterns add unique charm to this handcrafted 100% alpaca shoulder bag. The artisans of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco start from scratch to create it--raising the alpacas and llamas to obtain the fleece; shearing, dyeing and spinning the wool; and weaving the textile on a traditional waist loom. The fully-lined bag closes with a zipper and features an interior zipper pocket.

Handcrafted using techniques passed down from the colonial era, this impressive sling showcases the work of Peruvian artisan Berardo Santos. He works in leather, delicately tooling it by hand to feature pre-Hispanic images of anthropomorphic figures and ceremonial tumi axes at the front with the image of an Inca warrior at the back. Draped over the shoulder on an adjustable leather strap, the bag opens with a belt buckle flap to reveal an interior with faux leather at the sides. An open pocket on one side provides space for storing small items.

Crafted by hand, this delightful morral combines rich textures with red, white and rich earthen browns. Artisan members of Peru's Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco first knot the yarn before it is woven on a backstrap loom. The motifs derive from Inca art in an effort to keep the traditional patterns and techniques alive as well as their Andean identity. This texture is known as urpi, which means "dove" in the Quechua language.

The community raises and cares for its own alpacas. The fleece is washed, carded and spun by hand using a pushka, or drop spindle. The dyes come from plants, nuts and tree bark. The next step is one of the most important, as the artisan prepares the warp, or vertical threads for the backstrap loom. This determines the size of the textile, the color combinations, and the patterns that will be woven.

The intensity of color can vary depending on the hardness of the water, the altitude and the local dye sources, making each textile a unique piece of handcrafted art

Patiently handwoven on the backstrap loom, ancient motifs recall the splendor of the Inca empire, when such textiles were more highly prized than gold. Artisans of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco craft a handbag of timeless beauty, combining blue and with two shades of red on a dark blue background. They name their design for Chinchero, where time seems to have stood still for centuries and the Quechua language is spoken and seek to keep the old textile traditions alive.

The community raises and cares for its own alpacas. The fleece is washed, carded and spun by hand using a pushka, or drop spindle. The dyes come from plants, nuts and tree bark. The next step is one of the most important, as the artisan prepares the warp, or vertical threads for the backstrap loom. This determines the size of the textile, the color combinations, and the patterns that will be woven.

The intensity of color can vary depending on the hardness of the water, the altitude and the local dye sources, making each textile a unique piece of handcrafted art. The bag is fully lined and opens to reveal a convenient zipper pocket.