Hugo Yucra Quispe Paricela and Rosa Ticona Vilca

Peru

Year(s) attended: 2008, 2009, 2010

Artisan Committee of Centro Poblano de Chijnaya

Chijnaya Foundation

Embroidery

The Andean village of Chijnaya was born after a flood in 1963 devastated villages near Lake Titicaca.  As part of the resettlement project, and through the influence of Peace Corps volunteers, the concept of having the children embroider scenes of daily life took hold.  What emerged were “bordados” employing hand-dyed alpaca yarn embroideries soon captured world attention and on a ground of “bayeta” or hand-woven simple weave woolen cloth.  These “life stories in thread” soon captured worldwide media attention and the plight of Chijnaya’s villagers.  The tradition lasted until political conditions made it impossible to export the embroideries in the 1980s—until a revival that took place just a couple of years ago.  Each piece tells a specific story of an aspect of life in today’s Chijnaya—and most are made by the children, now adults, who found a voice and expression of their cultural identity in the original project. The Chijnaya Foundation, headed by ex-Peace Corps volunteer and Santa Fean Ralph Bolton, seeks to improve living conditions in Chijnaya through agriculture, animal husbandry, health and the support of artisans.