A ruana (possibly from Spanish ruana "ragged" or Quechua ruana "textile") is a poncho-style outer garment native to the Colombian and Venezuelan Andes. In Colombia, the ruana is the characteristic and traditional garment of the department of Boyacá, initially made by indigenous and mestizo people, although it is also made in the departments of Cundinamarca, Antioquia, Nariño, Bogotá, Santander (Colombia), Norte de Santander and Caldas. In Venezuela it is widely used and made in the Andean states of Táchira, Mérida and Trujillo, used since the colonial times by all Venezuelan inhabitants, currently only in the Andean region its traditional use is maintained. Similar to other poncho-like garments in Latin America, a ruana is basically a very thick, soft and sleeveless square or rectangular blanket with an opening in the center for the head to go through with a slit down the front to the hem. A ruana may or may not come with a hood to cover the head. Etymology and origin The origin of this garment is still unknown. Some believe that it is a fusion of the Spanish capes with the traditional blanket of the Muisca and Timoto-cuica indigenous people; while others believe that they took that name from the cloths that the Spanish brought from Rouen in France. The word ruana is of unknown origin but likely comes from the Spanish language "ruana" meaning woollen cloth, ragged, or street-related. However, albeit dubious, according to ProColombia (former Proexport), the official Colombian agency in charge of international tourism, foreign investment, and non-traditional exports, the word ruana comes from the Chibcha ruana meaning "Land of Blankets", used to refer to the woollen fabrics manufactured by the Muisca and timoto-cuicas natives. Pre-Columbian Muisca (also known as Chibcha) peoples wore garments similar to the Ruana. The ruanas worn by the native Muisca (Chibcha) were apparently made of wool and knee-long, well-suited to the cold temperatures of the region where they were used not only as a piece of garment but also as a blanket for use in bed or to sit on as a cushion of sorts. Many ruanas are handcrafted with sheep's virgin wool. An 1856 watercolor shows an indigenous man in the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia weaving a ruana using a large foot-pedaled loom. Other scholars argue that the modern ruana doesn't seem to have evolved from these nor it shows continuity from the regional pre-Hispanic garments, rather the ruana