Feature Artisans

Eulogio Medina and Guillermina Salome  

Eulogio Medina and Guillermina Salome live in the central Andes town of Cochas, Peru. Villagers in Cochas are famous for their engraved gourd work, an art form that South Americans have been perfecting for nearly 4,000 years. Medina Handicrafts exports gourd ornaments and musical instruments through Allpa and Manos Amigas, long-standing Ten Thousand Villages artisan partners.

Medina, Salome and their son, Tito Medina, employ up to 20 artisans in their engraving workshop. Artisans working at Medina Handicrafts have a source of stable income and are able to send their children to school. Farmers in the northern coastal town of Chiclayo plant and harvest gourds for Medina Handicrafts, giving them a local market and job stability in their home community.

Click here to view additional artisan stories from our national Ten Thousand Villages website.