Do you know how handicrafts originated?

Currently, and for decades, we have been using products and services that are handcrafted, moving away from large-scale industrialization and moving towards human labor, handmade by expert individuals who pour all their love into the creation of different products. With many of the products we consume daily being manufactured by artisans, it is important that we learn about this beautiful history of Latin American towns.

Craftsmanship is an aboriginal Latin American profession that began with the Aztec, Inca, and Chibcha Indians, who, among their traditions, made basketry, textiles, ceramics, goldsmithing, stone, and wood. According to myths and legends, these artisanal objects were made by the gods and had no economic purpose.

During the conquest, artisanal traditions were modified and improved. It was then that new tools began to be used, which became indispensable and were also supplied by nature. Goldsmithing was one of the traditions that was affected by the arrival of the colonists, due to the ambition for gold and wealth; they took the gold without it being worked.

Later, in Colombia, "Obrajes" were implemented, urban workshops where Spaniards taught indigenous people about jewelry, painting, sculpture, and other activities. Handicrafts began to be commercialized, starting a capitalist economy in which a new role emerged, that of the intermediary, who bought the products and resold them.

This is how handicrafts became an economic and very important mechanism for Colombia and Latin America, giving rise to the economy as we know it today and being important products that we continue to consume to this day.

Supporting artisans means supporting our roots and the industry that strives daily through a manual and creative process. That is why we want to commemorate Artisan's Day, which was celebrated this March.

Source: repositorio.artesaniasdecolombia.com.co