So I recently got back from a wonderfully successful ten-day trip to the mountains in northwest Argentina, both for some much needed out-of-city time, and also to make contacts and buy artisanry for my budding fair trade business. I went with Juan Pablo to the province of Tucumán, where he is from, in the central northwest region. We visited a couple of his cousins in the city for an
asado, an Argentinian barbecue where they grill just about every part of the animal (we vegetarians ate salad), and then headed of to Tafi del Valle, a tranquil, though touristy, mountain town. Fortunately it wasn´t tourist season yet, so all was pretty laid back and it was so refreshing to get out of the city!
So we stayed there for a night snacking on regional cheeses and artisanal chocolates, and then continued on to Amaicha del Valle, over the other side of the mountains where it hasn´t rained since March. It´s a very dry desert, but along the valley floor there are plenty of trees for shade, agorrobos and alamos, with a distinct bright eternal spring green. Juan Pablo used to live there and had many friends and contacts for buying artisanry. . . turns out he´s a great business partner! He knows a lot about setting up workers´cooperatives and Argentinian laws and subsidies and whatnot, and we chatted with people about the possibilities for starting artisans´cooperatives. Some already exist, and some are pretty excited about the idea, and about the idea of fair trade in general, which is not something they´ve had regular access to. A lot of artisans have felt very exploited and are quite interested in alternatives, though also understandably very mistrustful of outsiders. But Pablo is good with talking with people about possibilities, and we left with our heads full of ideas and potential, as well as plenty of contacts and artisanry: beautiful sterling silver and silver jewelry, llama wool shawls, and black ceramics, all with designs distinct to the region. We are also exploring possibilities for documentary film-making.
Amaicha del Valle is an indigenous commune of the Daguita people, and are in a stage of trying to regroup and reorganize and empower their community after having been severely exploited. When we were there
, they happened to be holding the first among hopefully a series of democratic assemblies to discuss and deal with issues in their community: exploitation of artisans, lack of water, education, the need to protect the environment, etc. It´s a fairly closed community, but Pablo and I were able to attend the assembly because he had a chat with the
cacique (leader). It was a great opportunity. . . unfortunately my Spanish comprehension is still quite limited, but I did get a copy of their constitution which I am beginning to translate and it is quite fascinating and inspiring.
We had planned to travel furher up into the mountains, but I got sick with an upset stomache and couldn´t go anywhere--aparently it´s pretty common for people to get sick there when adapting to the strong desert climate. Anyway, I´m better now. And I did manage to feel good enough in time to go off on a jeeping expedition with this crazy Belgian (the husband of a friend of Pablo´s), off into the desert to shoot things, poke around loo
king for pottery shards and arrowheads, and meeting a couple of his friends . . . a precious elderly indigenous couple that lives in a house out in the middle of nowhere, way off the road in the desert, in a rough but simple life. I don´t know how to describe the energy of the place: so tranquil, so wild, so real. I didn´t want to leave.
Alas, now I am back in the city with the
porteños (Buenos Aires city folk), and I´ve got my posh modern apartment filled high with rustic old pottery and llama wool, and Buenos Aires is in full bloom, with trees full of purple flowers.
