Cooperativa SalvatierraArte CampoTaller Bolivia Taller GuasaseRomanet Zarate

Claudia Mercado

The 60 families of Salvatierra live in a remote village surrounded by a sea of tropical forest. They survive almost entirely by small-scale agriculture and hunting and fishing. Most of the women do not speak Spanish and have never left Guarayos, but their fame as hammock-makers is known throughout Bolivia, and so the women decided to organize themselves into a cooperative to be able to purchase thread and sell their products at fairs in the regional city. However, they struggled to find buyers that could afford their quality.

When we saw the gorgeous hammocks that the women produced, and their pride in their work, they inspired us with the idea of bringing their hammocks here. We named our company after the village, in honor of them, and also because of the other meaning of the word Salvatierra, "save the earth". Salvatierra is a community that has received custodianship of over 80,000 acres of forest as part of a community forestry program. Strengthening Salvatierra and its families will help them care for their forest too.

There were initially only three women in the cooperative who knew how to make the most traditional of the hammock styles, the Guarayos knotted hammock. They work in their homes, giving them flexibility to care for their families too. For these families, the income from the hammock-making has become a vital part of their household economy. And now, because of increased demand for the hammocks, young women have been inspired to learn the tradition.

View of Salvatierra