Ecuador · Resist-dyed (ikat) backstrap-loom weaving
Macana / Ikat de Gualaceo
The spinning, sun-drying, resist-tying, dyeing, and backstrap-loom weaving of wool into macanas — traditional Ecuadorian shawls decorated in the ikat technique, in which thread is bound before dyeing to create the finished cloth's characteristic blurred, feathered pattern — in Gualaceo, Azuay province, near Cuenca. Named master weaver José Jiménez, recognized alongside Cañar's Juan Tenesaca (CRAFT-2134) as one of 200 Ibero-American artisans honored as a 'Gran Maestro del Arte Popular' by Mexico's Fondo Cultural Banamex, anchors the tradition, while contemporary weavers Carmen Vera and Gladys Rodas — from the Gualaceo parishes of Bulcay and Bulzhún respectively — have extended the craft's reach into international haute couture, weaving macanas specifically commissioned by fashion designers for incorporation into high-fashion pieces, alongside continued direct retail sale of finished shawls.
Risk level: Vulnerable · Not Applicable — no UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage inscription exists for this craft at time of writing
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