Home: Otavalo, Imbabura Province of Ecuador Products: Leather Jewelry & Accessories Born: 1963 Favorite Food: Grains Favorite Music: Instrumental & Andina Favorite Pasttime: Riding a Bike Favorite Vacation Spot: The Beach Miguel worked for a long time as a mechanic although he was always interested in art. He finally decided to pursue his interest when […]
Mery is from Lima and is 33 years old. She lives with her parents and younger brother, Angel. Mery’s parents adopted Angel at three months old from a neighbor who was unable to care for him. To Mery, he has become “a brother of the heart.” Mery works with Minga making ceramics for use in […]
Working with Minga Since: 2010 Workshop: Lima, Perú Products: Stamped Leather Goods Mercedes and her husband, Pablo, started their business in leather shoes and accessories over 30 years ago. They first started in Ayacucho where Mercedes was studying, but had to move the business to Lima because of the increased violence of the Shining Path […]
Working with Minga since 2005 Workshop: Otavalo, Ecuador Products: Wool/Cotton Sweaters, boucle scarves, Glittens, Hat & Mitten sets
Marisol lives in Tabio, Colombia, about two hours outside of Bogotá. She was working as an industrial designer in 1998, when she fell in love with the technique of coiling wool and wire to create her whimsical characters. In 2006, Marisol started her company. It has since grown to include a large following in the […]
Date of Birth: May 31,1965 Lives in: Juliaca Puno Favorite hobby: Travelling to Arequipa Favorite food: Marinated Chicken Favorite music: Huayno Mario learned at an early age how to loom from his parents, Cristóbal and Doña, but only started making dolls in 2002 when he was inspired by a doll he saw in Cuzco and decided to make his own […]
Favorite Food: Chairo Soup Favorite Music: Cumbia Favorite Dance: Huayno Maria was born and still lives in Juliaca with four children. Her mother passed down the weaving tradition. She married her husband and now works with him weaving by hand and also weaving with a machine.
Working with Minga Since: 2005 Home: Otavalo, Imbabura Province of Ecuador Products: Jewelry with Alpaca Silver, Stone and Glass Born: 1971 Favorite Music: Christian Music Favorite Dance: Chichera Favorite Vacation Spot: Visiting Family Goals: Building his own home. Mesías is a jewelry maker who specializes in alpaca, semi precious stones, and a glass form called […]
Luzmila and Bolivar live in Otavalo, Ecuador with their three children, David Estevan (22), Lizbeth Marita (18) and Alison Katerine (13). They work with Minga, making scarves and shawls knit from alpaca, cotton and acrylic blend yarns. Bolivar learned his craft from his grandparents when he was little, knitting by hand, and Luzmila learned to […]
Luz is from Lima and met her husband Marco Antonio when she was studying in Huancayo, a valley in the mountains of Perú. Her husband worked originally in metals, making home accessories, and with this experience they were able to move to Lima and start working in making jewelry with alpaca metal, bronze, and Peruvian […]