23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
The Gift of the Spider

For the Yanesha’, many ancestral teachings came from eternal beings sent by their Sacred Father. The art of weaving cotton was a gift from Arankmena, the mother of all spiders. In this photo, sisters Yolanda and Dominga weave their cotton beside a spider spinning her web, recalling that sacred connection.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 07.2025
Date Uploaded: 10.2025
Photo Location: Palcazu District, Oxapampa Province, Pasco, Peru, Peru
Camera: X-T5
Copyright: © Mariana Poblete