Threading Together the Past

The intersection of Peruvian fashion and culture.

By Isabel Mendez Johnson

The nation of Peru is known for its food, landscapes, and culture. But the country carries many different experiences from an array of backgrounds.

The rich history has created different ‘departamentos’ in Peru all with their own unique cultures. Growing up as a second generation Peruvian American I had a lot of questions about the world my grandparents and their descendants had lived in for so long.

When I probed my grandparents for answers, they were eager to tell me their journey to America and how they made a better life for themselves. But they strayed away from any discussion relating to growing up in Peruvian culture.

Since moving to the states at 22, my Mor Mor (grandma) Aurora Mendez has done what she can to Americanize herself and establish the American Dream.

But there are times when my grandparents remember parts of their family history I thought had been tucked away and long forgotten.

Even though Quechua is an official language alongside Spanish, there are over 46 different languages spoken throughout Peru around the entire nation.

Deculturalization and language loss in Peru caused a decline of indigenous Peruvian culture and customs. The national census in 1950 found more than half of the population fluent in an Incan tongue. By 2015, less than 15% were fluent.

After the Spanish conquered the Incan civilizations, European traditions became embedded in the vibrant nation. The indigenous population was not only starved in hunger, but starved from their traditions.

Following an indigenous rebellion in 1781, the Spanish colonists outlawed the use of Quechua, the language still spoken by many indigenous people. New laws and legislation discouraged indigenous language and culture and a nation once proud of their roots was ushered into isolation.

“The majority of the languages are coming from the jungle. The ones that are more popular are Ashaninka and Aymara, but then you can go to Equitos where we have a few (languages) that are at extreme risk and have only one last speaker,” Mendez said.

“People would speak Quechua, but we were told we were not supposed to learn Quechua, because that's from the indigenous. And we grew up thinking that the indigenous are different… that they are less than,” Mendez said.

Her parents owned a store that would sell and trade fabrics with the Quechua population in the mountains. Although frowned upon, my MorMor learned words in Quechua to communicate with and understand the Indigenous people.

“Every Saturday and Sunday, actually, the people who were in the mountains would come down. And they are the people who wear their typical dresses, they are called paraguas,” Mendez said.

The artisans usually spoke only Quechua and oftentimes a translator was needed to complete transactions. However, there were some words that my Mor Mor remembers from her times in Huaraz.

List of Quechua words

“Okay, ‘Auquis’ means old man, ‘Chacuas’ means old woman, ‘Dios pagarasunqui’ means God will pay you back, ‘Supaya wawa’ means devil child, ‘wawa’ means baby, ‘Shushu’ means stick, ‘Ishpetuporki’ means drink your urine, ‘Manank Kanchu’ means there’s nothing, ‘Warmi’ means woman, ‘Warmimandaman’ means woman commands the man,” Mendez said.

Recalling all the words and their meaning was difficult for her as she remembers less and less of her early years. Her journey to America introduced her to a new world of possibilities, so long as she conformed.

To combat this flagrant language loss and cultural stripping, a new generation of Peruvians took matters into their own hands to honor their background on their own terms.

Gabina Funegra, a filmmaker from Peru, spent the last decade researching the decline of Quechua in Peru. After interviewing people in the Andes, Funegra compiled her footage to create a documentary. Mother Tongue, Funegra’s breakout film explores the revival of Quechua in different parts of the world; New York, Paris and Cusco.

Download video

Funegra grew up in Lima and both her parents spoke Quechua, but they decided against teaching her the language. In their eyes, Quechua would hinder her chance for success.

“They saw that the official language is Spanish, and that will be good for my career and my future, but if I want to get better, it will be to learn English,” Funegra said.

She noted that the attitude around speaking Quechua was quite judgemental and not knowing Quechua provides a sense of pride for some people. Funegra explained how young people would be reprimanded for using their mother tongue.

“I interviewed some people that said they would be hit if they speak Quechua. So they have to learn Spanish and then try not to speak Quechua, as they get (further in) school, they would completely forget (the language) and try not to speak,” Funegra said.

Likewise, finding people for her project was difficult. People who spoke Quechua were too ashamed to claim the language as their own. People in the Andean region were initially intrigued by Funegra but quickly changed their attitude once they knew why she was there.

“I say the language Quechua. They all turn around. They say, ‘Oh, we don't speak Quechua here. If you want, you will have to talk to our abuelitas, the grandmothers in the Andes,” Funegra said.

It took Funegra much longer than anticipated to produce her documentary films, as most native speakers tried to hide that part of themselves to the outside world. After months of interviews and research, Funegra debuted her documentary Mother Tongue.

The University of Southern California organized a Maymester course with Professor Karen Perez exploring Language Loss and Deculturalization in Peru. Undergraduate students immersed themselves in Peruvian culture for three weeks.

Perez teamed up with local organizations and community members to grant students an in-depth experience.

Alberto Chara, a professor at the Universidad de Salamanca in Cusco who studies Peruvian heritage, discovered his family lineage while studying abroad in college. His family has lived in the Cusco region for centuries.

Now, Chara teaches college students, including Perez’ Maymester class, about culture and life in Cusco and they immerse themselves in new communities to better understand indigenous culture.

“We visit archaeological sites, we also go into in indigenous communities, where we research about the culture, what they're doing, and how they live,” Chara said.

The nonprofit Chara works with, Sustainable Development Studies in Peru, sponsors a myriad of different events and projects to help aid the local community in sustainable ways.

“We're working right now on a cultivation program, to grow potatoes to raspberries, which is more profitable for indigenous communities. We also try to (host) workshops to create a sense of business for the kids (involved in the program). We also have a program for water sustainability, and irrigation and water consumption.”

A large aspect of Indigenous culture is clothing and embroidery styles dating to the Incan empire. These skills have been passed down for generations.

My MorMor is always proud to say she is Peruvian, but there were also elements of her young self that were shed when she set sail to her United States dream. She wanted to dress more “with the current trends” meaning the plain gap sweaters and blue jeans her colleagues seemed to wear everyday.

I see in her style evolution the fusion of her colorful Peruvian roots while still trying to fit in. Much of what she wears include a stack of gold jewelry, colorful layers, and bold prints and patterns.

She dressed her kids the same way, and my mom and her brother were always wearing the most stylish ensembles from head to toe.

I reached out to a local Los Angeles merchant who works with women from the Andes to design and distribute various embroidered fashion pieces. Magali Vitale grew up in Lima, Peru and values her past and her culture.

Vitale launched Kuyay Designs at the beginning of the pandemic because she wanted to still show who she was with her face still covered.

The idea of sustainability as a primary factor in the production of anything is especially important to indigenous culture and I was amazed by their dying practices.

Colors are everywhere in Peru, especially in nature and Pachamama or Mother Earth is a sacred part of Indigenous culture. Peruvian wool and cotton can be dyed through natural processes.

“In Cusco, and many other cities with a (large)Indigenous population are well-prepared to do weaving, ceramic, wood carving, rock carving, so that's why it's pretty much popular for these families to sell those products and create handicrafts,” said Vitale.

Download video

In the height of the covid-19 lockdown, she discovered a group of artisans called Las Polleras de Augustina who had been creating colorful face masks with traditional Peruvian embroidery. Their handiwork has been passed down for generations.

Photo by Isa Johnson

Each person has their own unique journey to unraveling the threads of their past, and exploring parts of your identity you may have forgotten about. Language, fashion and culture all meet at one intersection to preserve indigenous Andean culture that thrives off of sustainable practices.

And while we are all a big melting pot together, we all share the same indigenous blood.