KEYCHAINS: Carriers of Andean Simbolism and Positive Social Impact
We are happy to share the launch of our new PALLAY keychains, 100% handmade by high Andean weavers from Cusco and local artisans. Our commitment is that 20% of the profit from the sales obtained will be used to improve the quality of life of the high Andean community of Acchuhuata – Cusco.
The story behind each piece:
Each keychain has a woven strip, handmade by high Andean weavers with the ancestral technique of the waist loom, fine sheep yarn and natural dyes. Some of the woven strips are embroidered or hand-crocheted with cotton thread.
The Andean symbolism and details of the keychain are coined in a bronze plate by local jewelers, through the technique of carving and chiselling that allows obtaining the figures in low relief. This is achieved with special chisels for this purpose. Then the piece is placed in a patina, which consists of introducing the piece in a sulfur solution and with the result of this bath the piece is black, then it is polished to obtain some darker parts and others with more shine, giving an aged effect to highlight the final work.
Each piece carries Andean symbolism, full of meaning:
Inti: The Sun God, source of life and energy. He is the one who provides the light, who enables creation..
Tumi: The Inca ceremonial knife. It is connected with life, death, and divinity. It is a source of protection against evil, capable of ensuring prosperity, abundance, vitality, family love, good health, fertility, good luck, and longevity, for its owner.
Chakana: The Andean cross, a symbol that represents “the door to the top”. The balance between the below, the inbetween and the above, a symbol that connects, protects and teaches.
Universal sacred geometry, which perfectly applies the Yanantin (union of complementary opposites), emptiness and matter, spirit and body, God and you, time and space. You are everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Kintu: The 3 coca leaves that represent the Andean worldview and its 3 worlds, the KAY PACHA (world of the living), UHU PACHA (world of the dead), HANAN PACHA (world of the gods). It is used in offerings to ask the APUS for blessings, protection and good harvest.
“In everything we do at PALLAY, we seek to preserve ancestral textile knowledge, techniques that are being lost and that are part of our cultural identity ”. Marcelo Henríquez - Founder of PALLAY
The difference is in the details!
We have created a special packaging for each keychain. The tag highlights the meaning of the Andean symbolism and the history behind each piece. It also includes the photo of the high Andean weaver and the local artisans who participated in making each keychain.
