special gift

Earthy stripes of brown, orange, red and ocher distinguish this cozy 100% alpaca scarf from Peru's Ulloa Family. The scarf is woven on a traditional loom and features hand-knotted fringe on both ends.

Inca motifs in earthy browns, tans and greys make for a harmonious design on this table runner from Peru's Kathiana Quispe. The runner is hand woven from alpaca-blend yarns and finished with braided fringe on both ends.

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

Preserving ancient methods and motifs, Victoria Quispe Mamani and the Hilando Victoria association create magnificent textiles. This all-wool wristlet is woven on a traditional backstrap loom in shades of russet, spice, amber, brown and army green. Supple brown leather trims the top and forms the wrist strap.

Surrounded by an array of flowers, rays of light burst in a halo about the Virgin Mary. Alejandro Chávez shows her expression of loving concern for her son, Jesus, and for mankind. Known as a retablo, this traditional diorama is housed in a colorful chest crafted of wood and painted. Chávez carefully models each figure from ceramic plaster and paints them by hand.

Terracotta conveys a connection with the earth in three beautiful bracelets. Working in red Andean clay, Dina crafts beads of differing shapes and colors. Some are glazed, others reveal incised motifs and all reveal the artisan's touch. They stretch slightly to slip over the wrist.

In the tradition of the Day of the Dead, in which people honor those that may be gone but still hold a special place in their hearts, artisans from the Angel Cerón Artisan Association handcraft a ceramic skull honoring the painter Frida Kahlo. The skull, the natural beige color of the clay, has Frida's iconic brunette braid across the top of her head, complete with flower crown and petite flowers at the ears, and Frida's undeniably expressive eyebrows.