Souvenir Suggestion -- Bárniz de Pasto

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One of the few handicrafts of Indigenous origin that still exists in Colombia can only be found in Pasto and the department of Nariño. It consists of wooden objects covered with a special varnish that comes from the Mopa Mopa tree which is grown in the Amazon rainforest in Putumayo. The tree produces a jelly-like substance twice a year that is converted into a thin sheet – kind of like a sheet of fabric. The sheets of resin are then colored and decorated with vegetable based dyes. Finally, the decorated sheets are cut and placed on carved wood pieces.

See some beautiful examples of objects covered with the Bárniz de Pasto at the following link.

http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/todaslasartes/maestros/maes4a.htm

Comments

Anonymous said…
this is great! I want to tell you that I really appreciate the information you are posting on this blog! I look at it every day!

muchas gracias!

un abrazo
Joshua Miguel
February 5, 2009 at 6:48 AM
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