Dora Flor Alba Briceño, basket weaver, Ráquira
Dora Flor Alba learned basket
weaving from her grandmother when she was a young girl. She specializes in
making esteras and baskets with junco and enea, both reeds that grow on the banks of Lake Fúquene. She is
recognized for her fine work and has won many awards.
Guillermo Bautista Espitia, ceramicist, Ráquira
Guillermo Bautista makes traditional Ráquira ceramics using a pottery wheel. In the Chibcha language, Ráquira means the "City of Pots.” The region continues to be famous for its ceramics, and potters are known for their miniature good luck pigs,horses, and everyday ware.
Alba Herminda Beltrán, cook, hat maker, Gachantivá
Alba
Betrán uses the palmiche palm, which grows in the Andean Highlands, to make tapia pisada hats in a style that dates
back to colonial times. She also uses the tapia
pisada technique of braided palmiche woven with fique strands to make placemats, bags, and coasters. In her
kitchen, she prepares the traditional highland wheat arepa. In her farm, Alba grows blackberries and tomate de árbol (tree tomatoes) to help support
her family.
Juan César Bonilla González, tagua craftsman, Tinjacá
Juan César Bonilla has mastered
various techniques to carve the taguaseed, also referred to as "vegetable ivory.” The tagua seed comes from a palm which is native to the lowlands, but
the carving tradition has been practiced in the highlands for more than 100
years. Juan César’s family has been
carving tagua for generations. In his
workshop, he carves miniature objects from spinning tops to delicate jars, and
his wife often decorates the finished pieces. In addition, Juan César leads workshops
on strategies for preserving traditional crafts and for recycling discarded
craft materials.
María Florinda Coy Castilla, cook, basket weaver, Sutamarchán
Florinda Coy comes from a family of weavers. She works mostly with the fique plant, a type of sisal that grows at most altitudes in Colombia, but yields the longest and smoothest leaves in the highest regions. Florinda is also familiar with the craft and medicinal uses of various other plant species that grow in her community. And from her grandmother, she learned how to make dyes from such materials as stones, flowers, trees, and other plants. She is the coordinator of the association of artisans in Sutamarchán.
Areli Hernández Vega, basket weaver, Ráquira
Areli Hernández works with fique (type of sisal) and esparto (needle grass) to make a variety of traditional crafts including fruit baskets, backpacks, and other decorative objects. She is a member of a craft collective in Ráquira that is dedicated to promoting traditional crafts and skills.
Rosa María Jeréz Ruíz, ceramicist (religious sculpture), Ráquira
Rosa Jeréz comes from a family of potters. Although she learned traditional techniques from her mother, who supported the family with this craft, Rosa was inspired to create unique figurative and religious sculptures. She often sculpts her religious figures so that they have highland features. Rosa works in her home and sells her pieces to collectives and well-respected local vendors.
Ana Dolores Russi Suárez, wool weaver (sewing, crochet, and knitting), Sutamarchán
Ana Dolores Russi weaves both with esparto (needle grass) fibers and lamb’s wool. She learned this craft by watching her uncles, mother, and other community weavers. Her uncles made sandals and her mother wove wool ruanas. Dolores does loom weaving and also knits and crochets goods, which she sells in the market. For two years, she also worked with a cooperative and produced fabric for stores.
El Pueblo Canta, carranguera music and dance group, Tuta
Álvaro Suesca Acuña, director, song writer, composer, musician (requinto), instrument maker
Giovanni Suárez Torres, musician (small percussion), instrument maker
Danny Leonel Suesca Niño, musician (guitar, cane flute)
Edixon Julián Suesca Niño, musician (small percussion), instrument maker
Eduardo Vega Guerrero, musician (tiple), instrument maker
Laura Jeannette Alba Díaz, dancer
Jorge Alberto Rodríguez Sanabria, dancer
El Pueblo Canta performs highland carrangueradance music. They also play other traditional Andean Highland genres including carrangas, guabinas, torbellinos, and bambucos. Their songs are full of regional poetry, proverbs, rhymes, and anecdotes about rural Andean life. Álvaro Suesca, a renowned song writer and composer, has directed the group for 23 years. Members of the group also build traditional percussion instruments such as the quiribillos and la carraca del burro, a donkey rattle. Dancers Laura Díaz and Jorge Alberto Rodríguez have performed with El Pueblo Canta in several national folk festivals. Their repertoire includes dance torbellino, guabina, rumba criolla, and rumba carranguera. Jorge’s grandmother was known as the queen of torbellino.
