Vibrant Quechua fashion mixes ancient craftsmanship & European influences

By Molly Mitchell
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October 3, 2019

María Micaela Castro Sisa poses wearing a traditional Quechua outfit including a blue poncho, multicolored wide belt and black skirt.

María Micaela Castro Sisa poses wearing a traditional Quechua outfit including a blue poncho, multicolored wide belt called a chumpi and a black skirt called a pollera.

From jaunty bowler hats to gorgeous shawls and iconic ponchos, the fashion of the Quechua communities in the Andes Mountains is striking and rich with history.

The clothes of these indigenous South Americans is a mix of their pre-Incan roots, colonial Spanish influences and a dash of 20th-century flair. The beautiful textiles they wear are integral to daily life, showcasing their craftsmanship from head to toe with bright colors and patterns that are distinctive to the regions they’re from – primarily in the highland areas of Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.

María Micaela Castro Sisa is an alpaca farmer who lives in Ecuador’s windswept Andean páramo, a treeless plateau between the tree line and the snowy peaks. Each piece of her colorful outfit represents her community’s heritage.

This is the color of the sky, this is the color of our blood and this white is the color of our snowcapped Chimborazo. Here we have this belt has the sun, blood, nature, and black is the Earth – this skirt is for our earth. María Micaela Castro Sisa, Alpaca Farmer

Many of these traditional pieces are still crafted and worn with pride today.