Chinchero, Sacred Valley - Cusco
Q'aytu: traditional weaving workshop in Chinchero
Learn the full Andean textile process -natural dyeing, spinning and loom weaving- with weavers from Chinchero, in Cusco's Sacred Valley.
The story
In Chinchero, weaving is a way of remembering
At 3,762 metres above the Sacred Valley, Chinchero is known as the birthplace of the rainbow. Here, long before industrial looms and chemical dyes, women were already reading the landscape in thread: the lakes, mountains and flowers live inside every weaving.
Our workshop is the home of Norberta and her family of weavers. The techniques we share — washing wool with a wild root that foams like soap, dyeing with cochineal and valley plants, spinning with the puska — have passed from grandmother to granddaughter for generations.
When you visit, you are not watching a performance. You sit among the weavers, sink your hands into the wool, and take home something you made yourself. That is how this knowledge stays alive — and stays in Chinchero.
“Every weaving holds the life of the person who made it. When I teach a visitor, my grandmother weaves with me again.”
- above sea level in the Sacred Valley
- 3,762 m
- generations of weavers
- 5
- natural dyes from the valley
- 100%
above sea level in the Sacred Valley
generations of weavers
natural dyes from the valley
The complete workshop
A journey through Andean textiles, step by step
The same workshop, for those with one day — or for those who want to stay the night in Chinchero. No script, at your own pace, hands in the wool.
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9:00 – 10:30
Arrival and a walk through Chinchero
We welcome you with tea and quick introductions, then a short botanical walk through the heights of Chinchero, the “rainbow village” — to see where today’s colours come from.
Did you know? Chinchero sits at 3,762 metres, higher than Cusco itself. Cochineal, q’olle and chilca all grow within a few minutes of the door — the workshop’s whole palette, right outside.
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10:30 – 12:30
Natural dyeing and pompoms
We boil wool in clay pots with cochineal, q’olle flowers and chilca leaves. You will watch colour being born in front of you, choose your own shades, and turn them into pompoms.
Did you know? Cochineal, a tiny cactus insect, gives more than twenty shades of red. A few drops of lime turn it orange; a pinch of salt, purple.
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12:30 – 13:30
Lunch with the family
We share the table with Norberta and her family: a home-cooked, Andean lunch, made that same day. It is the workshop’s pause — and for many visitors, the favourite part.
Did you know? In Chinchero, cooking and weaving happen in the same courtyard: while the pot simmers, someone is always spinning.
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13:30 – 16:00
Spinning and your first weaving
With the puska — the Andean drop spindle — you will turn dyed fibre into thread. Then, on the backstrap loom, you will weave your first rows and finish a traditional bracelet in your own colours.
Did you know? The patterns read like symbols: the ñawi is an eye that watches over the road, the loraypo a valley flower. None is written down; they live in memory.
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Immersion · Day 2
Want to go further? Stay one more night
In the 2-day immersion, the afternoon ends with free time to explore the square and the colonial church, a family dinner and a night at Norberta’s home. The next day, after breakfast, you return to the loom to learn new stitches and weave a complete belt.
Did you know? A belt takes almost twice the thread of a bracelet — it is the project the weavers save for guests who stay the night.
Both formats end with your own piece in your hands: a bracelet after the one-day workshop, a full belt after the immersion. Pricing and what’s included for each are just below.
Gallery
Life at the workshop
Wool, dyes, hands and mountains: what a morning in Chinchero looks like.
Why it’s different
A workshop, not a show
What makes this experience the one you remember years later.
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Small groups
Maximum 8 people per session. Every visitor weaves with an artisan at their side.
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A local family
The workshop is the family’s own home. What you pay stays in Chinchero.
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100% natural dyes
Cochineal, q’olle, chilca and valley minerals. No chemicals, ever.
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Hands-on
You don’t watch — you dye, spin and weave. And you take your piece home.
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ES · EN · FR
We host you in Spanish, English or French, with no intermediaries.
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For the whole family
A special child rate applies to both formats.
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No experience needed
If you can hold a thread, you can weave. The artisans do the rest.
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Tourism that sustains
Your visit keeps alive a craft competing with industrial production.
Visitors
What they take home, besides the weaving
Real words from people who spent a day with us.
“A whole day outside of time. Norberta guided me thread by thread and my bracelet is my favourite souvenir from all of Peru.”
Camille
France
“We came with our kids, 7 and 10, and they didn’t want to leave. No tourist show — a real home, real wool, real people.”
Sarah
United States
“Watching cochineal red come alive in the pot is worth the whole trip. We stayed the night and went back to the loom the next morning — the immersion is worth every extra hour.”
Lena
Germany
“I expected just another demonstration. I ended up two hours at the loom, in silence, more focused than I’d been in years.”
Mateo
Spain
Frequently asked questions
Before you come
How long is the workshop?
The one-day format runs 7 hours, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. If you would rather go deeper, the immersion extends to 2 days with 1 night in Chinchero.
What’s the difference between the two formats?
Both share the same first day: natural dyeing, spinning and your first woven piece. The 2-day immersion adds a night with Norberta’s family, breakfast the next morning, and a second weaving session to finish a full belt.
Do children pay?
Yes, there is a special child rate for both formats: US$40 for the one-day workshop and US$82 for the immersion.
Is there a group discount?
Yes. The price per person drops from 3 travellers, and again from 5 — you will see it once you pick your format in the booking section.
What languages is it in?
Spanish, English and French, with no intermediaries. Explanations happen in your language, right at the workshop.
How do I get to Chinchero?
We are 45 minutes from Cusco and 25 from Urubamba, two minutes from the main square. All transport options are listed below — and we’re happy to arrange a trusted taxi for you.
What should I bring?
Sunscreen, water and a warm layer: we are at 3,700 metres. If you choose the 2-day immersion, pack a change of clothes for the night. All workshop materials are provided.
Can I cancel my booking?
Yes — free of charge up to 48 hours before, with a full refund. If weather complicates your travel, we’ll find a new date together.
Booking
Save your seat at the loom
Full day · 7 hours · 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
US$ 80
per person (1–2 travellers)
2-day immersion · 2 days, 1 night
US$ 165
per person (1–2 travellers)
Choose your format
Dyeing, spinning and your first woven bracelet, in a single day.
- Materials and natural dyes
- Family lunch
- Welcome tea
Everything in the full day, plus a night in Chinchero and a handwoven belt.
- Materials and natural dyes
- Lodging (1 night)
- 2 lunches, 1 dinner, 1 breakfast
- Welcome tea
Your selection
Full day
Fast reply - recommended option · +51 927 262 641
Details and cancellation
Not included (either format)
- Transport to Chinchero
- Guide / translator
Optional: Guinea pig (cuy) tasting (+US$ 14)
Cancellation
Free up to 48 hours before, with a full refund. Date changes at no cost, subject to availability.