From traditional knowledge to contemporary textiles, a story of culture, territory and continuity in Putre.
PUTRE · ARICA & PARINACOTA · NORTHERN CHILE
In the highlands of Putre, textile weaving remains closely connected to family knowledge, local materials and Aymara cultural traditions. Julia Cañari has made this knowledge part of her craft and, through her enterprise Wiñay Marka, has developed a contemporary way of sharing Andean textile traditions with audiences beyond her home territory.
Her work offers a glimpse into how traditional knowledge can remain relevant while adapting to new forms of design, production and commerce.
A Childhood Among the Mountains
Julia began weaving when she was eight years old. During her childhood herding days, she used branches of ñakatola to make small knitting needles, creating tiny clothes for her dolls — hats, vests and other miniature garments.
Her learning continued within the family, guided by her mother and grandmother. Like many traditional forms of knowledge, weaving was learned through observation, practice and repetition rather than through formal instruction.
Over time, what began as a childhood activity became a craft that Julia continues to develop in Putre.
The Loom as an Expression of Territory
For Julia, weaving is more than a technique for making garments. It is also a way of working with knowledge, materials and forms of expression connected to the Andean environment and Aymara culture.
Patterns, materials and techniques reflect knowledge passed down through generations. In this context, textiles can become a way of expressing identity, belonging and a relationship with place.
This is where Julia’s work takes on a contemporary dimension: preserving a tradition does not necessarily mean keeping it unchanged. It can also mean allowing traditional knowledge to remain active, useful and open to new forms of expression.
From Putre to the World
As Julia developed her craft, she began exploring new designs and products, while also discovering opportunities through tourism to share the textile traditions of her territory with a wider audience.
Her enterprise, Wiñay Marka, a name meaning Eternal People in Aymara, reflects this process of adaptation.
Today, her textiles have reached international markets, including Belgium and the United States, connecting contemporary products with the cultural knowledge and identity of the highlands of Arica and Parinacota.
For Julia, reaching international markets represents more than a commercial achievement:
“This is not just any export. This is an export connected to the ancestral, the traditional, and the roots of this area, so rich in traditions and crops.”
Her words highlight an important aspect of her work: the connection between a contemporary product and the territory and knowledge from which it originates.
A Living Tradition
One of the most interesting aspects of Julia’s work is the relationship between tradition and innovation.
Her practice is not simply about reproducing objects from the past. It also involves developing new products, exploring designs and finding ways to introduce Aymara textile traditions to people who may have never encountered them directly.
From this perspective, craft can be understood as living heritage — knowledge that retains its roots while finding new ways to exist in contemporary life.
Cultural continuity does not depend only on preserving old objects. It also depends on people continuing to use, teach and develop the knowledge behind them.
Threads of Identity
Julia Cañari’s story brings together three elements that are essential to understanding cultural experiences in the Andes:
territory, knowledge and community.
Her work offers a way to approach Aymara culture through everyday practice: the hands working with textile fibres, the knowledge learned within a family, and an enterprise creating new opportunities while remaining connected to its origins.
In Putre, weaving continues to be part of contemporary life. Through Julia’s work, this knowledge is finding new ways to remain present, relevant and connected to the territory where it began.
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Contacto: https://www.instagram.com/canari.cl