19th century Aymara Woman's mantle (awayo). Textiles such as this, made by the indigenous Aymara populations of the high Altiplano of Bolivia are among the finest and most sophisticated textiles ever woven in the Andes. This mantle is from the Sica Sica area in the Province of Aroma. It is closely related to a piece published as Plate 31 on page 97 of the seminal work titled: Aymara Weavings - Ceremonial Textiles of Colonial and 19th Century Bolivia. The pieces in this book were from private collections and made up the Smithsonian Institution's traveling exhibition of Aymara textiles mounted in 1983. This textile features exceptionally finely spun yarns and weaving - a feat made possible by access to one of the finest breeding regions in the Andes for alpaca. The wefts of this warp-faced textile are dyed red and add a subtle, shimmering quality to purple dyed color of the field of this piece. The use of dyed wefts in a warp-faced weaving is special, since wefts are not usually visible on the surface in such weavings as they are generally hidden by the warps of the structure. This special treatment is characteristic of important Aymara ceremonial textiles. The piece is in excellent condition. It probably dates to the mid 19th century or before and is a very refined and beautiful textile. Size: 39.25 x 39 inches.