Allpa

Allpa, which translates as "earth" in Quechua, an indigenous language in Peru, is an alternative trade organization established in Peru in 1985. Allpa provides marketing assistance to approximately 700 families in 17 different craft producing parts of the country. Many of the craftspeople are internally displaced economic and political refugees living in slums on the outskirts of cities like Lima. For many jewelry making is their only source of income. Much Peruvian jewelry is made of alpaca silver, which is an alloy of nickel, zinc, and copper. In the sixties, revival of traditional jewelry techniques, such as welding, hammering, rolling and repousse, began largely because of tourism. Alpaca silver is tarnish resistant and cleans with any readily available metal cleaner.

Culturas del Sol Reverse Glass Painting

Reverse glass painting is a colonial European art form the Spaniards brought to the New World in the 16th Century. Talented Peruvian artisans admired the beautiful mirrors and panels, and soon learned the technique of painting intricate designs on the glass, turning it over, and adhering it with plaster to handmade wood bases. For centuries they faithfully copied the Spanish rococco floral designs. Culturas del Sol asked them to go back to their own pre-Colombian cultural roots. They created the Inca group from ancient pottery and textile motifs from museum collections. The Nazca group is inspired by the 2,000-year-old mysterious huge lines etched in the Peruvian desert. The Nature series reflects a more contemporary concern with protecting and honoring the environment, as does the Flowers series.