Hand Loomed Alpaca Shoulder Sling Bag, "Cusco Glyphs"

Made entirely by hand, this beautiful contemporary bag showcases the ancestral weaving traditions preserved by the women artisans of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco. The compact purse exemplifies the incredible time and dedication it takes to produce a handmade work of art. In the highlands they call home, before they can begin to weave the fabric for the bag, the women must first raise and shear the alpacas and llamas to obtain the wool, then dye and spin the fleece before it is ready to be woven into fabric on a traditional backstrap loom. From start to finish, the time taken to produce each bag spans the seasons. The fully-lined bag closes with a zipper and features an interior zipper pocket.