In Peru's rural areas, the way people dress makes an important distinction, as a result of the blend of pre-Hispanic influences with the European clothing that the natives were forced to wear during the colonial era. Today the Quechua and Aymara peoples of the Andes continue to weave. Although many are forsaking old ways, the traditions survive in some regions.

The traditional Inca anacu was transformed by the local women into the brightly-colored and multi-layered petticoats known as polleras. Depending on the region, a black skirt is decorated with a belt which can come in a variety of colors and is decorated with flowers or floral patterns.

The Peruvian poncho dates back to the seventeenth century and is thought to be a variation on the unku used by men at the time. The men's warp-faced tunic was outlawed by the Spaniards, and replaced by the poncho, which kept out the rain and sometimes today are dyed scarlet during festivals.

Traditional dress tends to be capped off by woolen or straw hats, sometimes in various colors. But in the coldest reaches of the Andes, the highlanders tend to wear the chullo, a woolen cap fitted with earflap decorated with geometric motifs.