ArtAndes Blog

Maximo Laura has been weaving since he was a child, a skill passed down from his Father. His hometown of Ayacucho, Peru, is the capital of weaving. It wasn't a rare event for a young man to carry on the craft.
Due to the political strife in the area that gripped the highlands in violence, loss and uncertainty, beginning in the eighties, Maximo, like many others, left his hometown for Lima. The craft has become much harder to pass on ever since the diaspora.
Immigration to a large and modern city affected the fine craft of weaving that Ayacucho was known for. Lima, a city of 9 million people, far from the fiber and dye source the weavers relied on, and a loss of small family workshops, has been a challenging environment to weave in.
Maximo studied art in Lima and was committed to preserving the craft. He has traveled the world more than any South American Weaver, exhibiting, teaching and learning from international textile organizations and museums. He has influenced & empowered many weavers over the years to stay with an art form that goes against the grain of modernization, a craft rooted in ancient techniques.
While Maximo has remained very connected to Ayacucho through the years, his weaving headquarters has been in Lima. He has recently decided to shift some of that activity back to Ayacucho. He hopes to slow that cultural drain that calls people to Lima, where young men often aspire to drive a taxi instead of weaving a tapestry.
Preserving culture, one tapestry at a time!