A resident of Southern California during his lifetime, Joseph H. Fabish was a researcher of Huamachuco textiles and Peruvian weaving traditions. Joseph H. Fabish’s interests extended beyond ancient cultures and included fabric making techniques that have been handed down to contemporary artisans in and around Peru.

One of the essentials in making fabrics in Andean cultures is shearing alpaca, which is undertaken every one or two years, depending on fleece quality and animal health. This contrasts with sheep, which are shorn for wool every two to three years. Most commonly, the alpaca are shorn between January and April, which provides the camelids with time to regrow their coats before winter arrives.

Prior to shearing, many highland villages make offerings to Pachamama (Mother Earth), as well as local deities. Offerings include dried blossoms and herbs, as well as huayruro, a red and black seed sourced from the rainforest. An elder also leads village men in creating coca leaf bundles known as kintus, which are blown on as a sacred blessing. This is followed by filling conch shells with wine, with the liquid tossed in the direction of the alpacas.

While shearing does not harm the alpaca, it requires strenuous effort that involves first subduing the intelligent and quick-to-run animal by restraining its legs. The fleece is then shorn by hand. While some wool may be processed locally, most is baled and transported by local collective groups to larger cities, where it is graded, separated into dark and light wool, spun into fibers, and dyed.