In 2017, my family and I were two years into our three-year Brazilian adventure. Up to that point, we had spent a lot of time traveling throughout Brazil. But as we were moving back to Copenhagen in 2018, it was time to start seeing other countries before leaving South and Central America. And that is how I discovered the Amano Museum.
After a trip to Costa Rica with friends and family, I started planning a mother-daughter trip. And this was not me and Ottilia, but a trip alone with my mother.
The kids went to Denmark with my husband, and my mom and I boarded a plane to Peru. We had planned to see the highlights of two South American countries, Peru and Colombia, on our 10-day trip. Our first stop was Lima.
… And So We Were Off to Peru!
We had done some research ahead of time about what to see and do in Lima, including eating amazing food and learning more about the Inca culture, but in the end, we left a lot up to chance. I must admit that based on my prior experience in major South American cities, my expectations were fairly low. So Lima over-delivered!
From the restaurants to museums, and even some amazing fashion designer ateliers, it was one amazing experience after the other. And don’t even get me started on the architecture!
What I didn’t expect was that my interest and love for textiles and fashion conservation was about to be revealed to me. My mom had researched most of the museums, as she can usually be found in a museum anywhere we go. So off we went to the Amano, a pre-Colombian textile museum off the beaten track in Lima.
The museum is made up of three areas:
- The history of textiles from around the world, including the first raw materials and a more specific history related to the Peruvian territory that traces back to pre-Inca times.
- The production process, from selecting the raw materials to the tools used to make the finished product or garment.
- The privately accumulated collection of more than 400 pieces of textile art from the Chancay culture.
While visiting this museum, I recognized for the first time how valuable textiles are. Not only from a historical perspective, but also artistically. And that some textiles are truly works of art.
The Quipu
One of my favorite pieces was the quipu. From a distance, it looks like an oversized necklace made of rope. But it was originally a tool used for recording data points encoded as knots.
The quipu is basically a living historical account of all major transaction within a group of people living together. It said a lot about the culture and the people about whom it was recording key milestones. And on top of it all, it looked like a beautiful piece of art hanging on the wall in the museum.
Seeing Ancient Techniques in Practice
A few days later, while touring the Sacred Valley on our way to Cusco, our group stopped at a local village where some of the primitive techniques were still being used to create traditional tablecloths, napkins and even clothing.
It was on this trip that I started to make a connection between ancient textile artifacts and their significance in relation to modern-day textiles and even fashion. There is a historical significance in textiles that led us all to our role in the fashion industry, even a lack thereof. And this connection is a fascinating one to study and learn about, especially considering how far the fashion industry has come.
If you want to learn more about the Amano Pre-Colombian Textile Museum in Lima, Peru, click here.
And if you want to learn more about my experience in Colombia and my mochila, check here.
what do you think?