The Great U.S. Civil War, Native Cotton, and the Emerging Textile Industry in Peru
By James M. Vreeland, Jr.Originally published in Revista Punto & Plano, Issue 46, May 2025, pp. 22–26Translation authorized by the author. Cultivated extensively in the warm coastal valley of Piura since 1922, Pima cotton ignited a true revolution in the global textile industry. Called by many “Peru’s white gold” for its extra-long, soft, and strong […]
Voices of Lambayeque: Native Cotton and Artisan Heritage
San Martín de Porres University, October 26, 2016 I’d like to thank my colleague and the book’s author, Cristina Gutiérrez, for inviting me to speak before this distinguished audience and the authorities of San Martín de Porres University. It is an honor to share my experiences with Lambayeque’s native cotton and textile traditions. First and […]
WFTO Summit Highlights: Fair Trade and Naturally Dyed Cotton
From September 16 to 19, the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) held its global summit in Lima, Peru. Gathering more than 400 attendees from 76 countries, the event included fair trade buyers, NGO representatives, government officials, and leaders from international agencies like Simel Esim of the International Labour Organization and Isabel Durant of the United […]
Amazon Kidney Cotton: Rediscovering a Rare Native Variety
In July 2019, during a routine field visit to the Shipibo-Konibo indigenous community in Yarinacocha, Ucayali, anthropologist Dr. James M. Vreeland, Jr. discovered a towering cotton plant—over 3 meters tall—with a highly unusual seed formation. Known as “kidney cotton” for its tightly packed seeds resembling a human kidney, this variety had not been formally documented […]