Chamantos Doñihue

The chamantos are traditional ponchos or blankets from the central zone of Chile, being one of the garments used by the Chilean huaso. They are woven with double-sided silk and wool thread, so the quality allows them to be inherited from generation to generation.

One of its characteristics is its reversibility, since its two faces are finished. Traditionally, the dark side was used for the day and the light side for the night.

The blankets are adorned with figures such as copihues, bunches of grapes, ears of wheat and different national birds.

A little history..

The shamanto went from being a relatively secondary fabric at the end of the 19th century to being the star garment during the 20th century, being used by public, political and religious figures.

In 2004, within the framework of the APEC held in Chile, the chamantos gained worldwide notoriety when they were used by the 21 leaders, including George W, Bush and Vladimir Putin, during the official photo.

Where to buy chamantos?

Due to the complexity of the weaving of the shamantos, which takes around three or four months to make, they cost a lot, approximately one million Chilean pesos, about 1,200 US dollars.

If you are looking for Chilean fabrics at more affordable prices, you can find ponchos and blankets made in Chile in stores such as catron Y sweater.