Chavin de Huantar - wool tapestry

• 100% wool, cotton warp, 100% alpaca borders
• Dry clean only
• Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
• Marked with artist's initials or trademark
• Made in Peru, ships from US

“My name is Avencio Cardenas Arellano. I was born in 1962 in the beautiful department of Junin in Tarma, Peru. I consider myself to be a disciplined man in my personal and professional life. I am very detailed. I believe that the most important thing is to try to stay in good spirits. If you are good, you will attract good things.

“I have lived through some very difficult and complicated times. It was very tough getting ahead, especially during the age of terrorism in the 70s while I was attending university. We experienced unending strikes, which affected classes and made food very scarce. It was a social and economic crisis at a general level, greatly affecting my personal and family life.

“During my youth, I was raised watching my grandfather weave the famous frazada blankets on his artisanal wooden loom. I was very curious and I wanted to learn what he was doing with such sacrifice and passion. I was born in a village where they passed this textile art from generation to generation. The source of my inspiration was my grandpa Juan. My family taught me to love art and tradition with my soul in order to be able to share it.

“Getting to where I am today was very costly. I studied textile engineering in the National University of Engineering. It prepared me for my work, enabling me to innovate in my techniques and win many awards.

“One of my greatest dreams is to become a renowned textile artist, exhibiting my work not only at the local level, but also at the international level, sharing my art and culture. What I like the most about my art is the constant modification of the textile designs that I create, unlimited designs that come from my mind. I experience constant challenges with complicated designs that have to be transmitted in the textiles. My inspiration comes from the beautiful landscapes of my native land and compositions of personal inspiration, transmitted according to my vision.

“My pieces are decorative. Many people admire the innovation in the weaving. I wear the name of my land, ‘San Pedro de Cajas,’ in all of the expositions that I participate in. I have many projects in my region in order to enhance its talent and art.”

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Avencio Cardenas