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El Mercurio
El Mercurio - Santa
Barbara,
Huancavelica
Sixta Hilario, Silvia Zuñiga,
Aydee
Riveros, Silva Moran, Anatolia Munarriz,
Teresa Castro, Luzmila Machuca, Amalia
Machuca, Juana Ccaico, Estela Barrios,
Victoria Chahuayo, Norma Chahuayo, Hilda
Quinto, Domitila Mancha, Paulina Acevedo,
Antonia Acevedo, Ofilia de la Cruz,
Sandra Sacha, Yovana Quinto, Elizabeth Quispe,
Leonarda Ayuque, Nancy
Villanueva, Zulma Flores, Julia Flores, Andrea
Pariansullca, Yody
Moran
Grupo El
Mercurio is named for the famous mercury mine
that was founded in 1530 and dominates Santa
Barbara, the area that these women
are from. They produce finger puppet sets: the
nativity figures, Little Red
Riding Hood, Manco Capac (creation story of
the Incas), Noah's ark, and Bible
story people. They have been working together
since the beginning of 2003.
Grupo El Mercurio all fled to the outskirts of Huancavelica in the 1980's, escaping the horrific violence in the Huancavelica countryside. (In 2003 it was finally reported that nearly 70,000 people were killed in Peru, most in Ayacucho and Huancavelica, in the 80's and 90's.) Some of these women arrived as young orphans.
Most
still have family land in Santa
Barbara but are unable to eke out an existence
there as the community is still
rebuilding llama herds and recovering from the
loss of key community
leaders. Most of the women
return to Santa Barbara (10-15
hour walk) two or three times a year for
planting and harvesting periods, but
live in Huancavelica most months of the year.
These women have incredible
abilities to knit but have been unable to
channel their talent in a marketable
way. Most have a number of children and other
family responsibilities. Before
Grupo El Mercurio was formed, some washed
clothes in the river for families who
lived in Huancavelica, some shined shoes, and
some worked in homes as maids. But
none of these activities resulted in an income
that would ever help them out of
extreme poverty.
It is
important to mention that national statistics
show Huancavelica as the poorest region in
Peru and these women are from among
the most marginalized in Huancavelica.
Many groups in Peru produce finger puppets and when a local NGO presented Grupo El Mercurio with the idea, got out their knitting needles and bicycle spokes (when they didn't have needles), and started letting their creativity run wild. Their sets are precious and contain details that make their finger puppets stand apart. None of their homes have space for them to work together so for $3 a month, they rent a one-room house in which they gather every morning and late afternoon. The most skilled can make 8 finger puppets per day, but they are committed to working following the model that another Bridge of Hope artisan group, Grupo Maná, provided so that those who produce more slowly continue to improve. They hope to include more women.
Shop El Mercurio products
Grupo El Mercurio all fled to the outskirts of Huancavelica in the 1980's, escaping the horrific violence in the Huancavelica countryside. (In 2003 it was finally reported that nearly 70,000 people were killed in Peru, most in Ayacucho and Huancavelica, in the 80's and 90's.) Some of these women arrived as young orphans.
Many groups in Peru produce finger puppets and when a local NGO presented Grupo El Mercurio with the idea, got out their knitting needles and bicycle spokes (when they didn't have needles), and started letting their creativity run wild. Their sets are precious and contain details that make their finger puppets stand apart. None of their homes have space for them to work together so for $3 a month, they rent a one-room house in which they gather every morning and late afternoon. The most skilled can make 8 finger puppets per day, but they are committed to working following the model that another Bridge of Hope artisan group, Grupo Maná, provided so that those who produce more slowly continue to improve. They hope to include more women.
Shop El Mercurio products