The Colonial Era

The fall of the Inca state in 1533 led to the fall of Inca institutions like the weaving centers they had established. The Spanish tried to eliminate the production of fine textiles in the colonies to avoid competition with artisans in Europe. As a result, textile quality declined. The Spanish set up textile workshops to produce low-quality cloth for the working class, and introduced new materials and tools such as treadle looms, reeds, sheep wool, silk, and metallic threads. Andean weavers nonetheless continued to produce traditional clothing in vicuña and alpaca, and incorporated silk and metallic threads as added exotic elements. In 1575 the Spanish issued an ordinance banning the use of Inca clothing hoping to prohibit loyalty to the Inca past. But many native Andeans continued using Inca garments, and again the Spanish prohibited its use after the Tupac Amaru II rebellion of 1870. Yet people continued producing and using traditional Andean textiles.