23 22 MONTAÑA A19 y MONTAÑA B20 2003, linen, gesso, acrylic paint, platinum, gold-leaf & parchment; 137x70 cm each, artist´s collection. For the native people of the Andes, textiles are much more than mere objects. They have life, body and spirit. They communicate us with ancestral spirits which —according to their beliefs— inhabit them and guide the community in all aspects of life. Therefore, a lack of textiles would cause the community to suffer all kinds of mishaps, from poor harvests to disease. 5