Tourists and locals alike peruse the carved gourds of Pampas Gramalote, our second project in northern Peru, which is making its way towards complete economic sustainability and preserving the archaeological site there.
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Photo of the Week
Gourds galore! Gourds designed, carved, and painted by master artisan Ivan Cruz and his students were on display in the Expoventa Mates 2012. Their sale will provide a sustainable source of income for the community of Huanchaco while simultaneously supporting the preservation of its cultural heritage.
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Promising Beginnings for Pampas Gramalote
On June 1st, the community of Huanchaco inaugurated its new artisan store sponsored by the Sustainable Preservation Initiative, the Pampas Gramalote Archaeological Project, and the Municipality of Huanchaco!
Located in the nearby town of Huanchaco, the store is one of a three part project to create local jobs and businesses whose success is tied to the preservation of the archaeological site of Pampas Gramalote, where SPI archaeologist Gabriel Prieto discovered the remains of an 800-year old child sacrifice.
The inauguration comes after much hard work and several events, including a 2-month workshop where artisans-in-training received instruction on gourd drying, carving, and decoration by master artisan Ivan Cruz as well as the finer points of brushstrokes and sketching by famous local painter Pedro Anhuaman. Students also visited Huaca de la Luna, a large adobe structure believed to be the ancient Moche capitol. Wandering amidst the tall brick walls of multicolored art and motifs of a civilization that flourished so many centuries before them, these artisans-in-training found inspiration for their own gourd designs.
Tomorrow, June 8th, will mark the end of a 6-day long exhibition for the gourds created by Ivan Cruz and his students. The sale of these local works of art will provide a sustainable source of income for the community of Huanchaco while simultaneously supporting the preservation of its cultural heritage.
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NOVICA has signed contracts with Julio Ibarrola, our master ceramicist at San Jose de Moro, and Ivan de la Cruz, our master gourd carver at Pampas Gramalote! Selling their work internationally online is a significant step in the development of sustainable artisan communities at these sites.
“Rainforests and Ruins”: SPI at the Milken Institute Conference in 2011
Want to learn more about the Sustainable Preservation Initiative and how we both preserve cultural heritage AND transform impoverished communities?
Check out SPI Executive Director Larry Coben in this video from the Milken Institute Conference in 2011!
“The whole issue of cultural and ecotourism, while it may seem a rather small item in the world financial market scheme of things, in international development is the hottest concern right now,” says Brent Lane, Director for the Center for Competitive Economies at the Kenan-Flagler Business School of the University of North Carolina. With fellow panel members Uri Dromi (Director General, Mishkenot Sha’ananim), and Crawford Hill (CEO, Chill Expeditions), and Brent Lane, SPI’s Larry Coben discusses CONCRETE SOLUTIONS for helping developing countries preserve their undervalued and underutilized cultural heritage as an economic asset. SPI believes that by quantifying these assets and channeling capital to them, we can preserve endangered archaeological sites in a sustainable way that transforms the lives of poor communities.
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Incallajta, Bolivia: The ancient Incan site in central Bolivia where the idea for SPI was born. Check out the whole story in this BigThink.com video featuring SPI founder and Executive Director Larry Coben.
Fast Company Features SPI
Check out Fast Company’s recent write-up on SPI!
New Facebook Photo Albums
Hi all! Check out our new photo albums on our Facebook profile featuring Pisaq (in Peru), Bolivia, SPI’s project at San Jose de Moro (in Peru), and our NYC and LA events this past fall: http://www.facebook.com/groups/SustPres/photos/.
Photo of the Week
Beautiful carved gourd created by a local artisan near the endangered archaeological site of Pampas Gramalote. SPI’s grant provides local artisans with capital for creating such works of art, whose sale produces a sustainable income for the community.
