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Stories from the global community
Come along on the journey!
Day 44: South to the Land of the Incas - Peru
Destination:
Lima, Peru
Peru, in western South America, is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the west by the Pacific Ocean. Peru's name may have come from the Spanish misapplication of the Quechua word pelu, meaning a river.
Because Peru has such a diverse geography, the weather can vary in each region. If it's warm on the coast it can be very cold in the mountains and you can find completely different weather in the Amazon jungle. In Lima, February is the hottest month with an average temperature of 74°F and the coldest is August at 63°F.
Fun Facts:
In some parts of the Peruvian Andes, friends and family gather for a child's first haircut. The child is dressed in simple clothes and each adult may cut a lock of hair. Each guest then presents the child with a gift, usually a small sum of money, which is saved for later in life.
Also:
Peru's tradition of surfing goes back 2,000 years. Archaeologists have found friezes in sites along the Peruvian coasts depicting humans seeming to surf. Chicama and Pacasmayo both claim the world's longest rideable wave at 1.5 miles long.
Art Form: Arpilleras
An arpillera, which means burlap in Spanish, is a detailed and brightly colored hand-sewn three dimensional patchwork picture. They are made predominantly by groups of women in small cottage industries and craft cooperatives.
Arpilleras originated in Chile, where women political prisoners were held during Augusto Pinochet's repressive regime. Arpilleras were used to camouflage messages about the dire conditions in Chile, and were sent to helpers outside the country by the Catholic human rights group, Vicariate of Solidarity.
Arpilleras have inspired stylistically and thematically similar artwork in Peru. Most contemporary arpilleras reflect fewer political themes and more rural everyday life.
Arpilleras have become a means of support for Peruvian women who live in "pueblos jovenes" (shanty towns) and also struggle daily for survival. In an economy that offers few jobs and assistance, women must work hard to provide for their children. Their hand sewn textiles follow the traditions of the Incas and reflect scenes of daily life in the villages.
Most arpilleras are constructed from simple materials such as burlap and colorful pieces of fabric, stitched and embroidered together in applique style to form flat images of buildings, city streets, and landscapes. Many also include three-dimensional elements, such as small dolls stitched atop the fabric.
Arpilleras can also include more three-dimensional elements by using pieces of tin to serve as pots and pans, matchsticks for broom handles, and parts of plastic pill casings as bowls.
You may remember in an earlier e-newsletter we featured adorable children's sweaters with arpilleras on them.
The Company: Ole Peru
Ole Peru was founded in 1992 by Ana Sussman to help Peruvian artisans develop and create artwork that imparts and shares the teachings of their ancestors and their daily life.
Ole Peru imports and sells their textiles, ceramics and folk art that honor those traditions. Ole Peru works to improve the lives of the artisans, their families and communities by providing more income, more dignity and more self-confidence. Simple materials are transformed into works of exquisite craftsmanship.
Artist: Rosa Caccire Llamoka-Quispe (an artist supported by Ole Peru)
Rosa was born in 1959 in Arequipa, a southern province of Peru. Her parents, Carmelo & Jovita, were peasant farmers. She was the oldest of 9 siblings, all girls. At the age of 13, along with a distant relative, she moved to Lima where she worked as a maid for 6 years and met her husband Pascual. They had 3 children: Daniel, Sonia and Carmen.
In the early 1980s, five years into their marriage, her husband was killed during a raid by the Shining Path guerrillas. Alone with 3 children and forced to look for work, she met a group of women that sewed & embroidered arpilleras. She taught herself their skills, which she has now passed on to her daughters. Together they have formed a small cottage industry for other women too.
An added bonus - want to see an arpillera "come alive"? During the closing ceremonies of the 2019 Panamerican games, Peru celebrated its heritage by depicting life through a "live" arpillero. . .
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| ARPILLERAS - Lucho Quequezana - Clausura Juegos Panamericanos Lima 2019 |
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Shopping . . .
Are you ready to explore
what we have in our store?
Click the picture above or the link below to explore
all of our arpilleras. As you open the pictures, notice the tiny details added to each one to create each "story."
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Don't forget to stamp your Passport!
Click on the
"stamp" to add to your "passport."
We keep track of your stamps for you!
"Collect" at least 12 different "country" stamps during the third 20 days of our around-the-world trip to
be entered
into the drawing for a $25 gift card.
At the end of our 80-day
Around the World
excursion, all eligible travelers (minimum of 48 country stamps)
will be
entered into a drawing for . . .
a Grand Prize
$100 shopping spree gift card!
Thanks for traveling with us today.
Where to next? Stay tuned!
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Women stitching "stories" into fabric has been a tradition of many cultures and countries. The quilts our mothers and grandmothers stitched (and some of you continue to create!), the Hmong story cloths of life in Vietnam, and the tradition of Kaross embroidery in South Africa all embody this tradition. The arpilleras featured today link the creativity of women's hands around the world and their stories.
Our Brookside store is open today and will be open through Sunday. Our current hours are posted below my signature and we look forward to seeing you!
For those of you who cannot or choose not to shop in our Brookside store right now, we thank you for your continued online shopping support. And, yes, we plan to continue our global "journeys" with daily additions to our online store.
And I can't say it enough times -
YOU are an important part of what makes World's Window so special! THANK YOU!
World's Window
"Nobody can define you like you."
P.S.
We are glad to be on this around-the-world virtual journey with you and delighted that you are traveling with us. We hope you are learning some new information as we travel along.
If you haven't already done so, invite some friends to come along! There's still room on this journey!
Send an invite
P.P.S.
We're keeping our trip "log" up to date. If you think you've missed a day or are new to our journey, click
here
to review where we've visited the last 43 days.
CLOSED Monday and Tuesday
OPEN Wed through Sat, 11 am to 5 pm
Sunday, 12 noon to 5 pm
As always we are "sharing the world" through clothing, jewelry, folk art, textiles and hand-selected gifts -
and
buying locally-owned is a gift to your community!
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One way to support us
right now
is to purchase
World's Window gift cards.
In-store gift cards can also be purchased by calling
us at 816-361-2500.
And, with all gift card purchases
we'll ADD 10% more
to the value of your gift card as a "Thank You" for shopping small and local.
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