But, with the arrival of roads came the tourists, and although that brought prospects of a new source of income, it wasn’t reliable or sustainable. On their website, Awakami paints a picture of the scene, “Years ago, tourism to the indigenous villages where we work was disorganized and chaotic. Without a tourist reception center, guides brought tourists to the village to wander the paths, even peeking into people’s homes to take pictures. Visits were not planned in advance, so when tourists arrived, women dropped everything they were doing to run to meet the tourists in the hopes they would sell a weaving, but if they didn’t, there was no compensation for the time they took out of their day. The economic benefit of tourism was uneven and unreliable. Visitors disrupted and eroded key parts of village life. Meanwhile, women had few options to earn money in the village, as paying jobs were located in towns several hours away.” Awamaki was founded in 2009 by Kennedy Leavens and Miguel Galdo, who had previously worked in an organization that supported a cooperative of Quechua women weavers that eventually closed down. But when one door closes, we open a window, so Leavens and Galdo decided to open Awamaki to continue supporting the community. They have created several programs in the past, and their current focus is fair trade artisan cooperatives and sustainable tourism programs, with the goal of empowering the community without compromising their values. “Quechua people and women are using ancestral crafts to navigate the modern economy and make a place for themselves and their culture. We are honored to be part of this with them.” HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT If you want to support this important initiative and be part of the solution, you can donate towards Awamaki’s education and training programs for artisans. https://www.awamaki.org/pages/donate You can also find beautiful contemporary creations in their online shop: https://www.awamaki.org/collections/shop-all So if you’re planning on visiting Peru soon, make sure to book a trip with Awamaki, and you too can experience the mystical Sacred Valley like a local.
THE IDEA BEHIND THE CONCEPT The Patacancha Valley has been the home of Quechua communities for centuries. Originally settled in the sky- scratching Andean Mountains to escape the Spanish conquest, they have lived a separate life from the rest of Peru until relatively recently. About 30 years ago, they gained more access to the economy, education, and basic services with the new development of roads and schools.
@FINDING_FILIPA AWAMAKI.ORG
PHOTO CREDITS: (UNSPLASH) ADRIAN DASCAL, ANDRES CARRENO, JEAN VELLA, ALEXANDER SCHIMMECK, ANDY SALAZAR, BEN OSTROWER, WILLIAN JUSTEN DE VASCONCELLOS, SEIJI SEIJI
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