The Arpillera Project

In the mountain village of Carasque, El Salvador, women and girls gather to sew. They work in groups of two to six, creating arpilleras, fabric scenes of their lives. The cooperative in Carasque includes 11 people crocheting, and 25 people sewing, embroidering, and making arpilleras. They run the co-op democratically, make big decisions collectively, and divide their profits among members. Sales of their work provide one of the few sources of income to the village of 325 people.

The arpillera makers always begin with the mountains and the sun. From there, the stories unfold to share times of grief and times of joy, a fallen forest and the war dead, the building of the village, and the bounty of the farm. Each group enlivens their piece with tiny, 3-dimensional figures - a woman with an apron, a man holding a machete, a fat speckled hen with wings that lift to reveal embroidered eggs.

Arpilleras draw the people of Carasque together with their town’s sister city, Bangor, Maine. In 2001, the sewing cooperative began making arpilleras as a way to share the stories of their community with the people of Maine.

To get a glimpse of Carasque, take a good look at the arpilleras. See the resilience of a strong community, the people’s unbroken sense of hope, and their persistence in the long struggle for justice.

Interested?

You can purchase an arpillera from PICA. Most sell for between $100 and $175. We also organize public exhibits and presentations about the arpilleras and the stories they tell. If you're interested in buying an arpillera, or in arranging a display or presentation for your organization or workplace, please contact PICA.

Download an arpillera brochure to print out and distribute (PDF , 192 Kb).