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The Hands of the Colombian Pacific Bringing Their Traditions to the World
Based in Cali, this initiative strengthens traditional crafts from Colombia’s Pacific and southwestern regions, connects master artisans with apprentices, and creates opportunities for their knowledge to reach new audiences.
In Colombia, a handcrafted piece is much more than an object made by hand. Its shapes, materials, and colors tell family stories, reflect knowledge of the land, and express ways of understanding the world that are passed down from one generation to the next. In the Pacific region, this heritage is expressed through fibers transformed into textiles, clay patiently shaped by hand, and wood that preserves sounds and traditions.
To keep this knowledge alive and create new opportunities for it, Litoral: Crafts of the Pacific was established in 2024. This program by the Mayor’s Office of Cali is carried out through the Department of Culture and brings together master artisans, craftspeople, and apprentices around traditional crafts. It is a space where knowledge is shared across generations, workshops discover new possibilities, and creations from the Pacific region reach new audiences.
For decades, Cali has been a meeting point for communities from Colombia’s Pacific coast and southwestern region. They brought with them techniques, materials, and stories that are now part of the city’s cultural diversity. Litoral recognizes this connection and strengthens an ecosystem of more than 600 female and male artisans and apprentices, working across approximately 14 traditional crafts. (https://www.litoralartesanias.co/nosotros/)
A diversity reflected in every piece
The Litoral collection offers an opportunity to explore different expressions of this heritage. In werregue basketry, master artisans from the Wounaan community transform the fibers of this palm into handwoven pieces, using dyes inspired by nature. Each basket, plate, or container requires time, precision, and knowledge that conveys a deep connection to the land.
Black pottery begins with clay shaped by hand, polished with river stones, and fired using traditional techniques that give it its dark, satin-like finish. Chonta wood is closely linked to the sounds of the Pacific region and its traditional musical instruments. Other crafts include natural fiber weaving and jewelry making, where metal and glass beads take on special meaning.
Each craft has its own rhythms and secrets. That is why Litoral does more than showcase products: it also promotes training and the transmission of knowledge between generations, as well as the strengthening of workshops. Its collection includes co-design processes involving artisans, apprentices, and a creative team, where tradition engages with contemporary ideas without losing the identity of the communities.
Stories that cross borders
The knowledge born and kept alive in workshops across the Pacific region is also finding its place on the other side of the world. In September 2026, four artisans associated with Litoral took their knowledge and creations to Paris, where they participated in Territorios Vivos Paris 2026, an event that allowed them to share the stories and traditions behind their crafts with new audiences.
The delegation brought together different skills and backgrounds: Deira Tomasa Quiñones, a master artisan specializing in tetera straw basketry; José Miguel García Villa, a filigree jewelry maker born in Guapi; Carmencita Cárdenas Chiripua, a Wounaan master artisan specializing in werregue basketry; and Bertha Helena Mosquera, an artisan dedicated to horizontal loom weaving. Their stories show how Cali connects different territories and how a craft can preserve the memory of a place while creating opportunities elsewhere. (https://www.litoralartesanias.co/manos-creadoras/)
Behind every creation are families, workshops, and generations who have found a way of life through these crafts. That is why bringing handicrafts to new settings not only makes it possible to share Colombia’s cultural richness but also creates opportunities for those who keep these traditions alive.
A small detail that tells a story of Colombia
As part of Milagro Week, taking place in New York from November 16 to 19, 2026, one hundred handcrafted pins by Litoral will accompany various gatherings. More than just a gift, each piece will be an invitation to discover the talent of artisan communities and the cultural richness that Colombia shares with the world.
Discovering Litoral means getting closer to the Pacific region through the hands of its artisans: uncovering the stories behind each technique and the creativity through which traditional knowledge finds new paths. When a handcrafted piece crosses borders, the stories and identity of Colombia travel with it.
