Textiles have always been paramount to Andean culture. The availability of llamas and alpacas wool, cotton and other natural fibers, combined with predominantly cold weather, allowed the development of this art. Andean cultures have been weaving fiber objects since 8000 BC. Some elaborate fabrics were considered so precious, that they were used as valuable traded goods and even offered as sacrifices to the sun god Inti. Salasaca tapestries, though rather recent in their development, come from this long tradition of transforming fiber into art. The “tapestry boom” did not occur until the 1960s when Peace Corps volunteers reached Ecuador and recognized the Salasaca talent for textiles. Since the 1960s, this form of art has spiked and tapestries can be found in Salasaca, Otavalo and many other locations. Folklore Olga Fisch’s tapestries are uniquely designed and carefully constructed by our in-house artisans.

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Textiles han sido una parte importante para la cultura Andina desde hace milenio. El acceso a llamas, alpacas, algodón y otras fibras naturales, combinado con el clima frio de la montañas, permitió que esta arte se desarrolle. Se conoce que culturas Andinas han estado tejiendo y manipulando fibras desde 8,000 A.C. Los tapices de Salasaca, son una invención moderna pero proviene de una historia rica de convertir fibra a arte. El boom de los tapices no ocurrido hasta los años 60′s, cuando un grupo de chicos trabajando con el Cuerpo de Paz de Estados Unidos vieron el potencial que la comunidad Salasaca tenia con los textiles. Desde entonces, esta forma de arte a crecido en todo el Ecuador. Nuestra línea de tapices en Folkore Olga Fisch es exclusiva.