Nilda Callañaupa

Peruvian Quechua weaver revitalizing ancestral textile traditions while advocating for indigenous women's rights

Nilda Callañaupa is a Quechua weaver and social activist who has preserved Andean textile traditions while advancing women's rights in the Cusco region. As founder of The Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC), she created a network of 12 women's cooperatives that revived ancient weaving techniques nearly lost to industrial production. This initiative has enabled over 800 indigenous women to earn equitable incomes through their craft, with average incomes increasing by 300% since 2019.

Callañaupa's work combines cultural preservation with economic empowerment. She developed a certification system to authenticate traditional textiles, ensuring fair prices in global markets. The CTTC museum and workshops now attract 15,000+ visitors annually, serving as both cultural center and training hub. Her 2020 book details the symbolic meanings woven into each pattern, which encode ancestral knowledge about botany, astronomy, and social structures.

She pioneered the 'Textiles for Education' program where families receive school supplies in exchange for teaching rare weaving techniques to youth. This has preserved 27 endangered textile styles and kept over 400 children in school. Callañaupa also led negotiations with UNESCO to include Andean weaving in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List, achieved in 2021.

Her advocacy extends to environmental stewardship, promoting natural dye techniques using native plants and organizing reforestation projects. In 2023, she launched the Indigenous Women's Leadership Academy, training 50+ leaders annually in business management and policy advocacy. Callañaupa's holistic approach has positioned her as a global authority on cultural preservation through economic empowerment, receiving the National Geographic Society's 2022 Conservation Leadership Award.