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 with butterfly motif using the ikat dyeing technique with indigo. Its warp fringes (el fleco) are knotted in macramé and enhanced with needlework that displays trees, flowers, and bird motifs, and the message “Linda Paloma a Linda Palomita” – pretty dove to a pretty little dove. 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. See additional information in “Paños de Gualaceo” by Dennis Penley (1988).