Peruvian Rugs

Learn More About Peruvian rugs and Antique Textiles from Peru

Peruvian Rugs and Textiles – Peru is a nation in western South America. Boasting one of the most ancient continuous civilizations in the Americas, Peru has been the home of gifted artisans for millennial. Prior to the colonization of Peru by the Spanish beginning in the early sixteenth century, this mountainous region was home to the Inca Empire – the largest and one of the most sophisticated pre-Colombian civilizations anywhere in the Americas. A rich and thriving culture, the Incas were responsible for some of the finest artistic developments in the world for centuries. Following the Spanish conquest of 1531-1533, the Inca Empire ceased to exist, and the foundation of several future nation states was laid. Among those future nation states: Peru, which made up the lands that had lain at the very heart of the Inca Empire.

Beginning in the sixteenth century, Peru was a Spanish colony. As such, local peoples were suddenly exposed to the entire glut of European tradition all at once as the Spanish reshaped Peru from a polytheistic, indigenous Empire into a Catholic, Spanish country. These developments naturally resulted in widespread adoption of many distinctly European trends and styles. Over the ensuing centuries, a unique Peruvian style gradually developed, in which traditional Inca values and aesthetics were combined with Spanish and European sensibilities. The rugs and carpets produced in Peru generally reflect this unique and specific aesthetic.