4 Peru Souvenier Ideas To Delight Your Friends and Family

 

A Peru vacation may seem like a nice time, but really it's a high pressure situation. Waiting for you back at home are your loved ones; you know if you return empty-handed you'll be confronted by ill-concealed looks of disappointment. Friends and family need souvenirs. Fact. But they don't just want something to put down amongst all the other foreign trinkets that they've been given, they are after something special. Something that they proudly show every time they invite guests over.

You're in luck; Peru has some incredible treasures waiting to be plundered, and you can take heart that your approach will be much nicer than the Spanish 500 years ago. Here are some of your options for impressive Peru souvenirs to delight your friends and family.

Peru pottery souvenirs
One of the most popular products in the world of crafts is pottery. Pottery is the main activity of Quinua, a town that is found 25 miles from Ayacucho. The uniqueness of these works is in the quality of the red and cream colored clay that makes for highly expressive pieces. The best-known pieces are small churches, houses, chapels and bulls called the Toro de Quinua. You can also find pieces that are figures of peasant farmers or have a variety of religious themes.

The 'Chulucana' pieces of the northern jungles by the Arabelas communities are created using particular methods such as beating the clay with a paddle that give it a special appeal. They make heavy use of the black color in their jars and also create characters such as dancers and magicians as well as animals that come alive in the hand-worked clay.

Another area of Peru that is famous for its pottery is Puno, known for its pottery bull figures (toritos de Pucara). The figures were originally used during cattle branding ceremonies as a ritual element, a flask that was used by the high priest to drink a special mixture made with the blood of the cattle. Churches, country chapels and homes are also feature items made by the potters of Puno, and pieces feature images of dancers, musicians and various types of flora and fauna from the area of Lake Titicaca.

Peru stone carving souvenirs
Materials found in Puno such as basalt, granite and andesite are used for stone carvings as well as a white alabaster more commonly called Piedra de Huamanga which is found in Ayacucho. A shortage of marble and porcelain caused the birth of the Huamanga stone carvings in colonial times. At that time, the carvings were mostly of the infant Christ and other religious themes but later on, artisans found the stone to be an excellent material for carving and started creating other religious motifs as well as Nativity scenes. Figures that are rougher in nature are carved primarily as souvenirs for visitors.

Peru mask souvenirs
Masks can be purchased from the southern Andes where they are created and are used in conjunction with a dancer’ s costume. They are used primarily during festivals and depict angels, demons, Spaniards and various kinds of animals. Plaster, leather, wood, wire sheeting and tin make up the materials of masks and are as varied as their place of origin.

Peru wood carving souvenirs
The town of Molinos near Huancayo is one of the Peru’ s current wood carving centers. The primary products include utensils, decorative pieces and toys as well as animals such as dusks, horses, roosters, lions and a variety of mythical beasts.

Bring back one of these from your Peru vacation, and you'll be greeted with squeals of delight. Happy hunting!

Author: Jackie Masloff - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America

 

Cusco and Puno Handicrafts

A visit to any market or museum in Peru will demonstrate the great assortment of crafts and textiles, many of which come from the Cusco and Puno highlands areas. They are the result of centuries of historical development, with pre-Hispanic shapes abounding and merged with other symbols brought over by the Spaniards. Peruvian crafts and textiles have a unique and complex identity with a touch of innocence in their native art.

Styles of Pottery Design in Cusco and Puno
The works of Peruvian artisans display weaving with a harmony of geometric designs, the cultural elements blending with the retalbo boxed scenes, miniature pictures of peasant life on carved gourds. Sculptures produced include stone, wood and gold and silver relics as well as many forms of pottery. The Inca tradition has heavily influenced the pottery of Cusco. The Inca Renaissance was a movement that helped to revitalize Cusco art and resulted in a great many pieces of pottery, including flower motifs, dishes and a variety of types of crockery. Another style of Cusco pottery is known as the grotesque tradition, a design created by Eriberto Merida and derived from the figurines in Quinua pottery. This style tends to display rough characters such as peasants and picture of Christ with facial features that are deformed and hands that are over sized.

A Load of Bull
One of Peru’s most well-known pieces of pottery that is created by the artisans of Puno is a ceramic bull. It originated as a sacramental element during the branding of cattle ceremony. Shaped as a flask, the bull figure was used to hold something known as chiha, a mixture of the blood of cattle, which was then drunk by the high priest conducting the ceremony. Churches, country chapels and homes are also created by Puno potters and their humble designs are typically covered by a white glaze. In addition, potters include designs and figurines depicting musicians, dancers and different types of flora and fauna from the area around Lake Titicaca.

Textiles of Cusco and Puno
An important source of income for many mountain communities, including Cusco and nearby markets such as Pisac and Chinchero is the production of textiles. In these areas can be found a great number of weaving cooperatives and exhibitions of native textiles. Weavers have been creating textiles for many generations. The region from which the textile comes plays a large part in the color and quality of the designs and defining a personal and community identity.

The weaving display symbols that are visual metaphors of the relationship between the physical and spiritual world and the Quecha people. Cusco textiles are primary woven by hand from alpaca or the wool of sheep. The process starts with the yarn being spun by hand on drop-spindles and then colored using natural dyes from extracts from plants, insect larvae or mineral oxides. A loom is then used to produce the weaving. It may take up to several months to produce larger items such as shawls or ponchos. The weavers more often than not sell their pieces directly to the public, giving them an opportunity to discuss the significance of the design and symbolism and for the buyer to praise the work.

Each textile is a unique and beautifully made item and purchasing such textiles directly from the community serves to help the local economy and preserve local self-esteem as well as contribute to a tradition and culture that has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. If you are on a trip to Peru, be sure to include a trip to a handicrafts market in either the Puno or Cusco region to be amazed by the cultural legacy on display, and even have a chance to take a piece of it home with you.

Author: Gary Sargent - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America