In the Andean mountains of Peru, in the tiny village of Cochas 100 families carve gourds, the finest in Latin America and the tradition has been practiced for generations. Historically, Andean people used gourds to store food and to this day they are used for storing salt and spices or drinking chicha and mate. In the late 18th century the inhabitants of the Huancayo region (Cochas) traded with merchants in the western most Amazon jungle and the eastern province of Ayacucho. Gourds were traded and the tradition and technique of carving from Ayacucho was past on to the people of Huancayo. Following an ancient tradition started by the Wari culture in the Ayacucho region of the Andes over 4,000 years ago. (Archaeologists in Peru recently discovered a deity figure on a carved gourd dating over 4,000 years ago), master gourd carvers today take you through the process of creating Peruvian gourd art. The tradition was never lost, it just moved from one region to another close by.
Gourds are vegetables very closely related to pumpkins, squash and cucumbers, and can be grown in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most of them today come from the northern coast of Peru. After harvest the gourds are left to dry in desert dry fields for 4 to 6 weeks. They then get moved to the altitude of the village of Cochas where they are carved by dozens of families. Using a buril ( extremely sharp and pointy small carving knife) each gourd is carved, clean and interior sanded masterfully. Then with a technique known as pyrography the gourd is "burned" in places to achieve the right shading and color tones. Eucalyptus embers and a primitive flame torch are used for this technique.
Carvers served their communities by recording Andean celebrations, oral traditions, rituals, myths, and weddings. Their traditions were left for posterity carved intricately on the sides of this masterpieces. Some gourds are dyed, others remain in natural color. There are some super fine intricate carvings with detailed and minuscule figures. Others are simpler with larger figures mostly decorative but all of them are made with pride and tradition in mind.