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CADENA EMBROIDERIES

mano en mano

We are women of the Moche Valley who came together as artists to improve our community’s quality of life. Our husbands’ farming jobs earn a few dollars per day but the pay is inconsistent and insufficient to support our families. Joining them in the fields means time away from our children and stress on our bodies.

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Mano en mano we are finding another way.

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Not only are we growing as artists, we are growing as businesswomen:​

  • forming an intergenerational group of mothers and daughters,

  • learning about color, design, quality, production and sales,

  • creating handcrafts that highlight our rich cultural heritage,

  • finding advocates in our local government and non-profits.

  • partnering with two local businesses to display and sell our product,

  • starting a community bank and participating in financial classes so we can save our earnings.

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Now producing hand embroidered stationery, we Cadena Embroideries are eager to share our slice of Peru with you!

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CULTURAL HERITAGE

Our community, Ciudad de Dios, is meters away from where our ancestors lived in 100-800 AD. We are proud to incorporate the iconography and imagery of Moche art found by archaeologists. As women, the icon we find particularly symbolic is the principal deity, Ai Apaec, whose features communicate its power to give life and at the same time to determine life (Huaca del Luna y Huaca del Sol Archaeological Museum, 2016).

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COMMUNITY BANK

We live with unpredictable income, making it difficult to save money. To invest in our future, we started our community’s first bank! It is self-regulated but follows standard banking principles, such as pledging a weekly savings goal and agreeing to small fees when we miss a contribution. In addition, we attend regular financial planning workshops to improve our money management skills both as individuals and a business.

Our Embroidered Stationery

EMBROIDERY

As artisans, we work to master our craft and learn from others. We took technical classes from local experts who advised us on ways to produce high-quality goods, store owners in Trujillo and Huanchaco who shared buying trends and local government officials who invested in our raw materials. Made with locally produced materials, we are confident in the quality and differentiation of our embroidered products.

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