Artisans

Weavers of Cajamarquilla

OLIVIA HUAYTALLA JOTA

Born in 1964 in Puyahuanay, Cangallo, Ayacucho. Olivia was taught to spin yarn as a young girl by her mother, though it was with her friends that she learned to use a backstrap loom. She began weaving sashes and later blankets. To escape from the terrorist group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), Olivia and her husband migrated from Ayacucho to Lima in 1983. She has eight children and her mother tongue is Quechua.

EUTROPIA HUARACA CHINCHON

Born in 1952 in Upiray, Independencia, Ayacucho. Her older sister taught her to knit and weave using a backstrap loom. Left Ayacucho during the terrorism years, along with her husband, Maximiliano Alfaro, who also weaves fabric and ponchos. Lives in Lima with her seven children and her mother tongue is Quechua.

GLADYS ESPINOZA CATALAN

Born in 1980 in Chavín de Pariarca, Huánuco. Her grandfather used a pedal loom, however he did not teach her because he believed it was for men only. Along with her family, Gladys cultivated cacao until she and her husband migrated to Lima in 2008. She is now a single mother with two children. She finally learned to knit and weave by hand in one of our development projects, and her children have since learned the trade. Her mother tongue is spanish.

MERLINA ESPINOZA CATALAN

Born in 1986 in Tantamayo, Huánuco, she learned to weave and knit by hand in Lima—much like her sister, Gladys, who is also part of our team. In 2001, she migrated to Lima, where she met her husband. A mother of three, Merlina is an enterprising woman, in charge of production and administrative processes of the Tejedores de Cajamarquilla (Weavers of Cajamarquilla). Her mother tongue is spanish.

TEODORA PEREZ SARAVIA

Born in 1959 in Quichuas, Huancavelica. Her mother and grandmother taught her at a young age to weave using a backstrap loom and to produce handspun yarn. She moved to Lima in 2012 to be with her eight children who had previously migrated to the capital. Her mother tongue is Quechua.

CAROLINA BASILIO SALAZAR

Born in 1977 in Chaynabamba, Huancavelica. Her mother taught her to weave and spin by hand as a young girl. In 1995 she moved to Lima when she was 17 years old. Married with a fellow native of Huancavelica, Carolina has four children. Her mother tongue is Quechua.

MAXIMILIANO ALFARO GARCIA

Born in 1942 in Upiray, Ayacucho, Maximiliano and his wife, Eutropia, are part of our team. As a child his father would sit him down to spin sheep’s wool while watching his mother weave by hand. Over time he would also learn to weave, typically crafting ponchos. Escaping a violent era in Ayacucho, he arrived in Lima in 1980. It would be years later that the rest of the family would be able to join him. He has nine children and his mother tongue is Quechua.

SEBASTIANA AUCCATOMA HUAMAN

Born in 1965 in Topccaccasa, Congalla, Huancavelica. Her mother taught her to spin by hand and her older sister showed her how to use a backstrap loom. She has always liked to knit, having been known to bring her weavings while working on the fields. She moved to Lima in 2012 and has six children. She speaks Quechua.

EMILIA SALAZAR BASILIO

Born in 1964 in Congalla, Huancavelica. Her mother taught her to spin by hand, though she would later learn to weave using a backstrap loom while attending one of our development projects, Tejedores de Cajamarquilla (Weavers of Cajamarquilla). She moved to Lima in 1997 along with her husband and three children. Her mother tongue is Quechua.

SONIA BARTOLO BASILIO

Born in 1975 in Topccaccasa, Congalla, Huancavelica. Her mother taught her to spin by hand and use a loom at a young age. She arrived in Lima in 1991, though would meet her husband back home in Huancavelica years later. She now has three children.

ELINA AUCCATOMA CUYA

Born in 1974 in Congalla, Huancavelica. As a young girl she learned to spin sheep’s wool and use a backstrap loom. She migrated to Lima in 1992 and has one child. Her mother tongue is Quechua.

AMANCIA AUCCATOMA CUYA

Born in 1968 in Congalla, Huancavelica. Early on her mother taught her and her sisters to spin sheep’s wool and to use a backstrap loom. She migrated to Lima in 2015 and has two children. Her mother tongue is Quechua.

IVAN RON MEDINA ESPINOZA

Born in 2000 in Monzon, Huánuco. As a young child he moved to Lima with his mother—who is also part of our team. He learned to weave strips of braids with us. Ivan makes the handles and straps for our purses and key rings. He is an expert with computers and helps with administration of the weaving workshop. Her mother tongue is spanish.

Lliwi Maki

MIRIAM CELIS HERNANDEZ

Born in 1961 in a settlement of Sayamud, San Miguel de Pallaques, Cajamarca. She learned to spin sheep’s wool and knit sashes at just nine years old. Later she learned to knit with fine and delicate fibers of mercerized cotton. Miriam is considered a master, for her skill as well as her knowledge of various textile techniques. She leads a group of weavers, Lliwi Maki, made up of 9 women: Maritza Celis Hernández (39), Marta Celis Hernández (50), Nellyda Celis Hernández (62), Karina Hernández Monsefú (24), Elsa Romero Celis (31), Teonila Monsefú Miroslava(64), Marlene Miroslava Romero (36) and Teolina Miroslva Romero (49). Over the past decade and alongside Pais Textil, Miriam has led workshops on fine weaving using a backstrap loom in Cajamarca, Lima and Cusco. She has one daughter, Elsa Romero, who is not only a great weaver herself but also a Computer and Information Technology teacher.

Tassels, pompoms and textile finishing

ROSA YAFAC

Born in 1960 in Chiclayo, along Peru’s northern coast, Rosa moved to Lima as a young girl. Her mother taught her to handknit sweaters and has enjoyed knitting ever since. She took secretarial courses and later psychology.  After becoming a widow she joined our workshop to learn how to create fine knits for exportation. She is now a specialist at knitting, crochet, fashioning of pompoms and tassels as well as textile finishing. She has two daughters.

Pedal loom

PEDRO GUZMAN

Born in 1989 in Paucará, Huancavelica, in the highlands of central Peru. As a young child his father taught him to weave using a backstrap loom. At age 18 he began to work ironing and would observe how coworkers wove using pedal looms; in his free time he taught himself this technique. Together with his siblings he has his own workshop, with six weavers. Pedro also has a band, Nuevo Sonido de Paucará, that popularly performs for local parties. He has two children.

Sewing Artisans

MARLENE DEMARIN

Born in 1962 in Lima. Studied tailoring and, in 2000, moved south of Lima to Chilca together with her family. She trained with us in our development project, Duna, in 2013. Together with a group of men and women from their community, they stitch purses and pillow cases.