Arhuaco mochila weaving workshop

The Arhuaco mochila is not a craft object: it is an object of thought. Every woven figure represents an element of the world — the frog, the toad, the stars, the paths — and for the Arhuaco, weaving is a way of ordering ideas.

The day starts with a thirty-minute nature walk from the estate's reception, along old stone paths and through forest, between the mountain and the stream. The route crosses avocado, mango, cassava and banana crops, and it is where much of the local wildlife shows up.

At the indigenous home there is an exchange with the Arhuaco family: the full process of making a mochila, the meaning of the weave within their cosmovision, the central role of women in the community, and the importance of the poporo and the men's traditional work. Then you weave.

Five minutes down the trail is the sacred well, where the family holds baptisms and pays tribute to Mother Earth, and where you can bathe. You can buy mochilas directly from the person who made them, with no middleman. The walk back to the estate looks out over the sea and the tropical rainforest, and ends with a natural drink made from organic fruit harvested at La Jorará.

Of all the experiences in the portfolio, this is the one that best teaches why respect, patience and creativity are central values of Sierra culture.