Andrea Lanza Aliaga, a senior concentrating in Archaeology and Social Anthropology, spent seven weeks in Peru for her thesis research. Her thesis, titled “The Memory of Our Ancestors: Weaving the Memories of Andean Textile Production,” explores how the memories of daily life, traditions, and heritage techniques are inscribed in Andean textiles and textile production, examining the role museums play in preserving and manifesting this knowledge. During the first six weeks, she stayed in the District of San Miguel, where she met many weavers from the communities of San Miguel de Pallaques, Jangala, Sayamud, Santa Rosa, and Calquis. She delved into the realm of memory through the stories of the weavers’ lives and the knowledge they shared about Kallwa or backstrap weaving, a technique they employ. To better understand the field of memory and the workings of the weaving technique, she also learned how to weave. Her teachers, Maria Celidonia Chuquijajas from San Miguel de Pallaques and Haydee Ercila Quiroz from Jangala, taught her step by step this ancestral knowledge and shared all they knew about it. In the last week, Andrea spent time in Lima, visiting several museums, including Museo Larco, Museo Amano, Museo de Arte de Lima, and Museo de Minerales Andrés del Castillo, where she evaluated the connections presented and how visitors interacted with them. On July 20th, she concluded her research in Peru.
