The Macana, or Paños de Gualaceo is a traditional shawl worn by women in Ecuador's Azuay province. This fine cotton shawl features a dark background adorned with light geometric patterns created using the ikat dyeing technique with indigo. Its warp fringes (el fleco) are knotted and enhanced with needlework that displays floral and geometric patterns, lions, and peacocks. In the past, threads made of black sisal (agave americano latino) were used to tie the ikat design on the cotton warp. The tying and dyeing of the ikat warp were done by women while the warping and weaving were done by men. Originally, the weaving was done on a backstrap loom with a circular warp.
