A Weekend's Worth of Fun at Expoartesanías in Bogota, Colombia

Bogotá, Colombia, is a massive high-altitude city filled with colonial-era landmarks nestled up against high-rise skyscrapers. Every year, they host an art exhibition called Expoartesanias. It is an art expo & trade fair that showcases native art forms of the country. You will find high-quality traditional crafts, as well as incredibly complex art pieces. 

The History of the Arts

Colombian art forms span 3500 years of rich cultural history. The Quechua and Aymara Indians of the Andes mountains are the largest ethnic tribes that live in the region. Most of their ancestors were either part of Tawantinsuyu, the Inca Empire in the Central Andes, or at least influenced by it. Their native arts and crafts revolve around palm trees and jute, both of which are abundant in the region. All of their crafts are sustainable, and gaining expertise in them involves generations of dedication and hard work.

Basket-weaving, mat-weaving, and clay pottery arts form a big part of the native arts. These arts involve making three-dimensional articles from palm tree fibers and clay, respectively. These articles are sustainable, decorative, and utilitarian, too. The artisans involved in it have generations of ancestral history in these arts, and that expertise shows in the articles. The arts are also ceremonious and even sacred to them. This is because they view palm trees as symbols of victory, peace, and fertility. 

My Trip to Bogota, Colombia

On my trip to Expoartesanias, I managed to pick up some amazing pieces that are now available for sale on our website. Below you will find the treasures from this trip. 

Baskets

Basket Weaving is a technique native to the indigenous tribes in the Andes. It is a fine traditional Colombian craft, hand woven with 100% "Chocolatillo '' Palm into beautiful geometric forms and unique designs and shapes. It’s 100% natural and is handmade by the tribes living in the Andes.

Check out the baskets for sale here.

Jute Mats

These mats are woven and made from 100% pure jute. They can be used to warm up your kitchen, add aesthetic appeal to your powder room, or upgrade your laundry room. This mat can also be used outdoors, so feel free to use it on the floor of your zen garden for a rustic feel. Since these are handmade, there may develop a few loose ends from time to time. Remember to not tug at these; instead, tuck them back in or snip them off with scissors. Take a look at the mats here.

Green Placemat Sets

The highest quality ‘Tetera’ palm threads are selected by the tribal artisans of the Andes to tightly weave these colorful placemats. Since they are 100% handwoven, slight variations in patterns and color depth may arise. These mats are available in two sizes—large and small—and can be purchased here.

Orange Placemats 

Indigenous weaving artisans handpick the highest quality palm fiber threads to weave these placemats. Since they are made of 100% palm fibers, they are heat resistant, too. The mats measure 13 inches in diameter and come in a pack of 6. The designs and color depth may vary slightly from piece to piece because they are all handcrafted. If you’re interested in these mats, click here to purchase them. 

Orange ‘Tetera’ Placemats

To weave these placemats, native weavers hand-select the finest tetera palm fiber threads. They are composed entirely of tightly-woven palm fibers. The mats have a diameter of 12 inches and are packaged in a quantity of 5. Due to the fact that each item is handcrafted, the patterns and color intensity may differ somewhat. Click here to purchase these mats.

Natural Placemat Set

Native weavers hand-select the finest tetera palm fiber strands to make these placemats. They are made completely of palm fibers that have been carefully weaved tightly into unique patterns. The mats come in a batch of 6 and in neutral hues. There are two size variants, namely large (12  inches) and small (8 inches). The designs and color intensity may differ slightly because each piece is handmade. To order these mats, click here.

Balay Bowl

The elegance of the “Balay" bowl makes it stand out. The "Cazabe" (a Cassava cake) is served using this circular, concave weave, which is knitted using specialized techniques from Chocolatillo palm leaves. The fiber is dyed with natural pigments and depicts various images with names and meanings. The Balay is one of the Vaupes tribes' most emblematic items. It is handcrafted and produced from exclusively natural materials by tribes native to the Andes mountains.

Each product is distinctive since it is handwoven by artists, and colors and forms may differ from one another. The bowl has a diameter of 11 inches and can be purchased here. 

This is a 12.5-inch version of the Balay bowl, woven in a different, unique pattern. You can purchase it here. 

Modern Method is a collection of unique and inspiring home accents, design elements, and women’s fashion curated from across the world by Paula Solano, the founder. She is constantly in search of new articles and design accents that you didn’t know your home was missing until you saw them. Her quests for these unique items have taken her far and wide, across the globe.

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