Qewar Textile Workshop & Silver Artisan Trail
Andahuaylillas has a quiet reputation among those in the know as home to some of the finest silversmiths in the Cusco region — and a remarkable women-led textile social enterprise called Qewar, where hand-sewn cloth dolls and embroidered pieces are made and sold directly in the workshop.
Qewar: Craft with a Story
The Qewar workshop was founded to give local women economic independence through traditional textile craft. The dolls and embroidered pieces produced here are not mass-market souvenirs — each one is hand-sewn in traditional Andean costume, with details that reflect the specific dress of Quispicanchi province.
Visiting the workshop rather than buying from a Cusco market stall means the full sale price reaches the artisan directly. It also means you can watch the process, ask questions and leave with something that has a genuine human story behind it.
The Silver Workshops
Dotted around the streets radiating from the plaza, Andahuaylillas' silver workshops are small family operations where you can watch smiths at the bench — hammering, soldering and polishing pieces that range from simple earrings to elaborate ceremonial items incorporating Andean iconography.
Prices are a fraction of what equivalent work costs in Cusco's San Blas neighbourhood, and the quality is comparable. The best approach is to walk the streets slowly, look for open workshop doors and ask to watch before you buy — most artisans are happy to demonstrate their technique.
The Apu Hills Above Town
For a viewpoint that almost no visitor seeks out, follow the path that climbs from the edge of the village toward the two sacred hills — Apu Curi Orqo and Apu Wiraconchan — that have guarded Andahuaylillas since Inca times. The Inca road network (Qhapac Ñan) passed near here, and traces of it are still visible on the hillside.
From the lower slopes of Curi Orqo, the entire South Valley opens below you: the patchwork of quinoa and potato fields, the glint of Huacarpay lake, and the terracotta roofs of the village clustered around the church. It takes about 30 minutes on foot from the plaza and rewards with one of the most authentic viewpoints in the region.
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