Bogotá Wayuu Backpack Workshop

At our Wayuu Backpack Workshop in Bogotá, participants will learn about the significance of this traditional product in Colombian culture. Attendees will have the opportunity to design their own bag and take a souvenir backpack home.

Workshop Details

The workshop begins at the designated time at Gabriel García Márquez Journalists’ Park, where we will start our journey to the historic center of Bogotá. During the walk, a stop at a café will include a traditional drink. While enjoying these drinks, discussions will focus on indigenous communities from North Colombia and the symbolic meaning of the Wayuu backpack in Colombian culture.

Participants will then visit the workshop of a Wayuu craftswoman from La Guahira. She will demonstrate the weaving and patterns involved in making a backpack using a crochet technique introduced to Colombia by the Spanish conquistadors. This craft supports many indigenous families' livelihoods.

With guidance from the craftswoman, attendees will design their own miniature backpack. This follows the Colombian tradition linked to the legend of Wale' Kerü, the weaver spider.

At the conclusion of the workshop, each participant will receive a souvenir backpack made with Wayuu weaving patterns. The total duration of the workshop is approximately 4 hours.