Artesania Workshop at Napo Wildlife Center

Artesania Workshop at the Napo Wildlife Center

The Lowland Quichua culture of the residents of the Centro Quichua Añangu community is a vital part of the Napo Wildlife Center. As part of the construction of the overall project, we built two large buildings where the entrance stream meets the Napo River (at the Bocana) for community members to use as a workshop. In late 2004, four community members traveled to Peru to learn more about producing artesania for sale (as opposed to just using around the house).

The artesania made by community members – primarily ceramics and balsa wood carvings – is sold at the Bocana site and also at the lodge, where a portion of the bar has been set aside to display the goods. The lodge does not take any commission for this, and all of the money goes directly to the community member who made the piece that was sold. The workshop at the Bocana also has a museum area that is being constructed to represent a typical local house in the early 1900s – a glimpse into Lowland Quichua life 100 years ago.

Although the Napo Wildlife Center is the premier wildlife location in the Ecuadorian Amazon, we still value and celebrate our greatest asset – the Añangu community that had the vision to protect this wonderful area for decades and make the conservation project possible.

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