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About
Handwoven in soft earth tones, ancient flower motifs bloom on bold bands of color. Faustino Maldonado and his family weave this extraordinary throw from alpaca fleece. The natural colors create a soothing sensation of beauty. Prized by the Inca, alpaca is fine and lightweight yet extraordinarily warm.
Product details
- 100% alpaca
- Dry clean only
- All natural dyes
- 2.84 kgs
- 6.3 lbs
- 235.0 cm L x 200.0 cm W
- 93" L x 78" W
Meet the artist
"I will never let go of either my grandfather or my grandson's hands, for what I have learned from the elders, I will teach to the young."
Update (July, 2019)
The parents of Faustino Maldonado were artisans, a tradition that has been maintained since time immemorial. When Faustino met the lady who is now his wife, Agripina Lazo, he did not know that her parents would also keep the textile tradition of weaving alive. Love did not take long to arrive, and over time their union became stronger. Today they have been married for more than 45 years, and together they formed a beautiful family composed of 4 children and 11 grandchildren.
Life was certainly not simple, and in the early years Faustino's parents worked very hard to support the family. His mother was deaf and dumb, and his father illiterate, but it did not mean that they could not develop their craft to feed their children. Despite these difficulties in life, the Maldonados managed to make their art unique, and their work soon highly valued. It became the livelihood of the family.
Since he was 12 years old, Faustino could create beautiful pieces like carpets. When school ended, he spent some time working in a mine as a drilling assistant for almost a year. But because of the dangers of the area he was forced to retire.
When he was 20 years old he met the love of his life who would accompany him on this long road through the years. They met at a party, and were soon inseparable.
Their beginning was complicated, however; with an infant daughter to care for, they had to ask the neighbors for help by lending money for food. Both Faustino and his wife dedicated their time to weaving on a loom that they had inherited from their parents. Soon they ran a small workshop in his hometown with just a manual machine and little room to work.
Despite the difficulties, Faustino knew that he had to move his family forward, and together with his wife they worked very hard. There was no rest--day and night were spent weaving. Times were hard, and the work had to be finished and finished well. Patience and concentration were and still are very important.
“We are a family that works based on the values of honesty, respect and responsibility as fundamental pillars of life and work. Little by little, we won more clients and with our first formal loan we were able to buy a larger property where we could work. We were able to buy a lot of material for alpaca wool fabrics and implement the pedal looms that we needed to work the larger pieces.
“I am proud to have managed to overcome the economic challenges. When the situation became difficult we knew how to face it, despite robberies and scams. We get up and keep working. The work and the loading of packages brought me some ills and a hernia that had to be operated upon. Shortly afterwards, doctors detected my diabetes, and it is a daily struggle to stay healthy in order to continue working on what I love most. But it inspires me to continue doing what I do until life no longer allows me.
“Thank God, our children have grown up and each one has formed his own family. Today, we support each other and continue to grow in the great family workshop that we have. Every effort has its reward, and we have received awards and decorations from our Huahuas people and from the Huancayo region. Their high officials have valued our work and our ancestral art.
“We provide training to all those who wish to know our art; from dyeing using natural plants to weaving on traditional looms.”
Original Artisan Story
Faustino Maldonado's artistry has been featured in Sunset magazine.
Faustino Maldonado was born in Hualhuas. Because his parents and grandparents were artisans, he learned at an early age to weave on rustic looms, to prepare the warp using the pushca, and spin on the rueca.
Since he first started weaving, Maldonado has mastered the art and has immensely improved the quality of his textiles. Maldonado's work is a representation of the art that has been passed down from generation to generation within his family. The family motto has been, "I will never let go of either my grandfather or grandson's hands, for what I have learned from the elders, I will teach to the young."
Based on this family philosophy, Maldonado and his relatives have been making large bedspreads in high relief without any stitching. They also proudly craft sheep wool and alpaca tapestries, purses, backpacks, cushions, and vests.
The Maldonado family's works have become increasingly popular.
This item was handmade in The Andes by NOVICA artisan borrowers. Kiva lenders have helped these artisans stock up on materials, buy more tools and grow their businesses.
This item qualifies for FREE SHIPPING!
- Only valid on the Normal shipping option for shipments to 48 Lower US states.
- Discounted shipping price may not be applied to previous orders.
This item ships with a free artist storycard, so you can remember who you impacted today. Customized gift messages are also available with every order.

We want you to be 100% satified with your order, so if you are not completely happy with your item, you can return it within 60 days of receiving it.
Return instructions
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This item is available for backorder and will ship within 2 to 4 weeks. Artists love to get backorders. Placing a backorder ensures that the artisan will do their best to create and deliver your item to our local office for shipment.
Although we cannot guarantee availability, we do expect to be able to fill the order within the timeframe indicated. But sometimes life happens - special materials may not be immediately available to the artist, or there might be some other circumstance beyond our control that could delay the shipment.
If for any reason we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will notify you.
This item has a special shipping flat fee which means that due to bulk, duties, or other special requirements, the item will be shipped to you via one of our special one-rate services. Shipping is only available to the United States (lower 48 States only).
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We refer to these items as "discounted wholesale". Such items carry a deeper wholesale discount than other items, and have greater potential to provide your business with healthier resale margins.
Triple 'Win' Pricing
Kiva Store offers triple win pricing, where YOU the consumer, Children from around the world, and Artisans all benefit.
WIN # 1 You Save!
Handmade goods from developing nations usually pass through a series of intermediaries before being purchased by retail consumers. Each of these intermediaries adds cost to the product, and that cost is passed on to the customer. The U.S. Fund for Kiva partnered with NOVICA, who works directly with artists through their regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America, allowing purchases from Kiva Store to go directly from the artisans to fulfilling customer orders. By skipping steps in the traditional supply chain, you can buy high quality items for less than the regular retail prices.
WIN # 2 Children Benefit!
Each item purchased from Kiva Store will benefit Kiva's programmes that provide lifesaving nutrition, medicine, education, clean water, emergency relief and more to children in need.
You can learn more about Kiva's work, on About Kiva.
WIN # 3 Artisans Profit!
Kiva Store artisans set their own prices and control their own businesses. Kiva Store offers artisans a free platform to sell their work throughout the United States.
Turn your gift-giving into an art form with our new premium gift wrapping service!
Delivering a beautiful handmade treasure, wrapped by hand in exquisite packaging will make your gifts truly unforgettable.
Above all, it's EASY! Just select the premium gift wrapping option during checkout and we do the rest. No more last minute worries about presentation - your gifts will be the best dressed every time!
Most premium gift wrap is only $3.95 - $5.95 per item.
Triple 'Win' Pricing
Kiva Store offers triple win pricing, where YOU the consumer, Children from around the world, and Artisans all benefit.
WIN # 1 You Save!
Handmade goods from developing nations usually pass through a series of intermediaries before being purchased by retail consumers. Each of these intermediaries adds cost to the product, and that cost is passed on to the customer. The U.S. Fund for Kiva partnered with NOVICA, who works directly with artists through their regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America, allowing purchases from Kiva Store to go directly from the artisans to fulfilling customer orders. By skipping steps in the traditional supply chain, you can buy high quality items for less than the regular retail prices.
WIN # 2 Children Benefit!
Each item purchased from Kiva Store will benefit Kiva's programmes that provide lifesaving nutrition, medicine, education, clean water, emergency relief and more to children in need.
You can learn more about Kiva's work, on About Kiva.
WIN # 3 Artisans Profit!
Kiva Store artisans set their own prices and control their own businesses. Kiva Store offers artisans a free platform to sell their work throughout the United States.
If an item is marked with a red bow, then it is guaranteed for delivery before Holiday, and will arrive by end of day on December 25th if ordered today. This only applies to orders with a delivery address within the continental USA.