Camilo Díaz Santibáñez’s research while affiliated with Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia and other places

In Peru, there are few communities that still preserve in their memory the ancestral wisdom on plants and dyeing techniques. This cultural erosion is mainly due to globalization, and the non-valorization of traditional knowledge, which is not recorded properly, running the risk of losing and extinguishing ethnic identity. This study reconstructs the traditional plant dyeing techniques, used in four Andean and three Amazonian communities, enabling us to reassess, preserve and use them in crafts and contemporary textile industry. The proposed methodology includes the ethnobotanical evaluation of plants with dyeing potential, and the in situ replication of the obtained colors. The dyeing process consists of four steps, which are delivered consecutively. As a step prior to obtaining the dye, the preparation of the fibers is fundamental in the finishing of the product. We tested 51 plant species used by the inhabitants of these communities, including 30 botanical families and 45 genera. The Asteraceae family registers the highest incidence of use as dyes, followed by the Fabaceae family. Differences were observed in the treatment of the fibers used, depending on their animal or plant origin. We concluded that the use of dyeing plants in Peruvian Andean and Amazonian communities is still being preserved, in the context of its traditional culture.