Return to Salvatierra

San Antonio de Lomerio is a remote community, hidden away in the rolling hills and dry tropical forest of the Chiquitania. It is hard to find for good reason. Sixty years ago, indigenous Chiquitanos escaped from the slavery system of the missions to form a free community. They went as far away as possible from any of the mission towns, into the heart of the backcountry. We were lucky that our guide (the daughter of the mayor) knew the road.

The ethnic group is known as the Monkox, and they are now trying both to preserve their culture and promote their town as a tourist destination. It will be a challenge; the road is rugged, the distances long, and the infrastructure nascent. Apart from the albergues for visitors (comfortable), there are only a handful of bare stores. Food is not exactly a point of attraction (if you like chicken and rice and chicken and rice, you'll like San Antonio). But for a traveler who wants to experience life in the Bolivian countryside and local art and music, it is a fascinating visit. One of the highlights of the stay was a concert by young musicians playing original Chiquitano instruments and songs. Everywhere, the houses are hand-painted with ochres from the earth.

 

I went there with Claudia Mercado to check out their handicrafts. The group built its own Handicraft House (they constructed it in two days during a minga, the communal work tradition). And we were enchanted by their natural dyes: luscious organic colors that captured the colors of the countryside. We spent the next few days learning with them how to make the dyes, and then developing some possible products.  I don't want to give away all of their secrets, but here is a little peek at their extraordinary natural dye process.

We first headed went to the forest to look for materials. Here Don Lorenzo is cutting tree bark that makes a luscious brown/red dye.

This tuber looks like a sweet potato and makes a vivid yellow dye.

Plants and fruits are used too. Our hands were stained blue for a week after scraping this fruit for the dying process.

 

 

We boiled the materials.

 

 

And prepared the raw cotton thread.

Then we boiled the thread with the organic materials.

And then we dried the thread. Here is the final product, drying on top of a loom. The variation in tone depends on the amount of time in the boiling pot with the material.

 

After drying, the thread is ready for the loom. The group has made beautiful weavings from the natural dyes; we hope to be able to import their products.

There is another reason that we want to work with this group. Steve Lotti was a Peace Corp volunteer in the town several years ago. I knew Steve, and he was very dedicated to the group of artisans (he helped them build their workshop and sell their products). After completing his service in 2005, on his way home, he and his mother died in a plane crash in Peru. I want to continue the work that he started.