Awamaki weaver Valentina and her family

Valentina is weaving on the Andean backstrap loom, a technology that Quechua weavers have used, relatively unchanged, for centuries. The structure of this simple, portable loom consists of wooden rods at one end that fasten to wooden stakes driven into the ground wherever the weaver is working. The other end fastens to a rope or woven strap that wraps around the weaver's back, allowing her to adjust the tension of the warp.

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