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MOCHILAS
HANDMADE WITH LOVE FROM COLOMBIA TO THE WORLD
The Wayuu are the largest indigenous community in Colombia, inhabiting the Guajira Peninsula in the northeastern part of Colombia, bordering Venezuela. This matriarchal community has adapted to the harsh climate of a desert located in front of the Caribbean Sea.
Men in the community are dedicated to herding, livestock farming, and cultivation, while women are dedicated to weaving, an ancestral art transmitted from mothers to daughters, closely related to the initiation rites of girls into adolescence. With the first menstrual cycle, girls must undergo a period of seclusion, during which they begin to learn the art of weaving.
For Wayuu women and their community, the art of weaving is very important and meaningful. Their crafts are symbols of creativity, intelligence, wisdom, and status. They represent their culture, their feelings, and hopes.
They even have a popular saying: “To be a woman is to know how to weave.”
Mochilas are the ultimate expression of Wayuu weaving, easily recognizable by their colors and designs. Mochilas are made in crochet (a technique introduced by Catholic missionaries in the early 20th century) or with a hook, and the creation of each piece can take approximately 45 days.
All pieces sold in our shop are Fair Trade. These true works of art are a testament to ancestral know-how passed down from generation to generation.
Buying a unique piece from our online shop, AGUA SALÁ, contributes to the preservation of a tribe threatened by the modern world.