Softly spoken and steady, Lucas weaves not just textiles, but memory, identity and legacy.
Lucas lives in a bustling, often avoided city in the south of Peru, far from the tourist trail, accessed by tuk tuk up a bumpy gravel road. It’s not the kind of place people visit for photos. But tucked high inside an aging building, up four flights of worn stairs, sits a light-filled workshop with a quiet kind of magic. This is where Lucas, along with his wife and daughter Kelly, keeps a family tradition alive, weaving textiles on foot pedal looms passed down through generations.
He remembers the sound of the hand looms from the time he was a young boy, sitting cross-legged on the lounge room floor while his grandfather worked beside him. Those rhythms, both literal and cultural, became a part of him. From scarves and throws to belts and bags, Lucas learned to craft with patience, precision and deep respect for the stories woven into each piece.
Now, decades later, that same sense of care lives in everything he makes. He works primarily with Alpaca fibre, his speciality is raw, un-dyed, hand spun fibre in its most natural form. Every thread he uses carries significance, with colour combinations, motifs and symbols rooted in his Indigenous Aymara heritage. His workshop houses around six looms, some inherited, others built to suit the needs of their evolving work. Each piece takes hours, sometimes days, to complete.
Lucas is a gentle and focused man. The atmosphere in his studio reflects this: peaceful, with soft instrumental music playing in the background as he works. There’s no rush, just quiet dedication and rhythm. While he doesn’t formally teach others outside his family, he’s passed on his knowledge to both his wife and his daughter Kelly, who now play key roles in the family business.
Kelly, in particular, carries the family’s creative future in her hands. She dreams of becoming a fashion designer, and when La Sierra visited, she showed us one of her creations, a hand-loomed, floor-length dress made from 100 percent Alpaca. It was nothing short of breathtaking. A true work of art, and a glimpse into what is possible when tradition meets vision.
Lucas speaks openly about his fear that his culture, language and customs are slowly disappearing. For him, weaving is more than work, it is preservation. A way to honour where he comes from while sharing it with the world. He sees this craft as a living archive, and each piece a quiet resistance to forgetting.
Our partnership began with a shared appreciation for that purpose. On one visit, Lucas and his family cooked us a traditional meal of Peruvian potatoes, soft and earthy, wrapped in a handwoven cloth he had made himself. We sat together in the warmth of his home, talking about nature, memory, and what it means to carry something forward with care.
Working with Lucas is a reminder of what sits at the heart of La Sierra: connection, intention and respect. His textiles carry history, not just his, but that of the Andes, the Aymara people, and the hands that continue to create with meaning.
Lucas quietly working away using coca leaves to ease a headache — a traditional remedy passed down through generations.