Woven Stories: Andean Textiles and Rituals » (1ST)

Andrea M. Heckman has a Ph.D. in Latin American Studies, focused on anthropology and art history. She is a photographer, weaver, avid trekker, lecturer, and cultural guide. She lives and teaches in Taos, New Mexico.

Andrea Heckman beautifully illustrates how the Quechua people of southern Peru tell their cultural stories in their textiles and use their weaving in centuries-old ceremonies, sustaining a connection to the past.

Library Journal

The remote Ausangate region of the Peruvian Andes is the home of the Quechua weavers portrayed in this highly illustrated cultural analysis. A student of the late Pueblo anthropologist Alfonso Ortiz, Heckman uses her Ph.D. research and time spent traveling as a guide and trekker to reflect her interest in how worldviews can be sustained over time through the art of textile weaving. The ethnography introduces the production and aesthetics of these famous textiles and the social life, languages, and rituals of their creators, descendents of the Inca. More than 100 excellent color photographs depict the textiles, the regional landscape, and its people. A bibliography, glossary, and index also make it appropriate for readers interested in exploring this culture and craft. Heckman's engaging writing style is accessible to general audiences, but the subject will appeal more to college-level readers. Recommended for academic libraries.-Nancy Turner, Syracuse Univ. Lib., NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.