Handcrafted Rugs from Women of Highland Ecuador
Determined to Thrive: The Yambiro Women’s Rug Hooking Group
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In the Indigenous community of Yambiro – where women often lack employment opportunities – artisans have joined together and learned the craft of rug hooking to earn additional income to support their families. The women’s group meets weekly to create the rug hooking pieces and continue to grow their skills. Tandana supported the training of the rug hookers, which began in early 2026.
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“Getting together lets us spend time doing something different. Not even the rain has stopped us from meeting – rain or shine, we stay together. Plus, while we’re working, we talk about everything, we laugh, and we have a good time.” - María Virginia Perugachi
Meet the Artisans
By purchasing a beautiful hooked rug, you are supporting motivated women in rural Ecuador in improving the lives of their families and community.
Virginia Perugachi
Virginia and her husband, Lorenzo, live together with their two children, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren on the outskirts of Yambiro. She grows different fruits and vegetables for her family to eat and sometimes to sell at market when there is a good harvest. She hosts the women in her home for the Rug Hooking Group’s meetings once a week. Her big dream is to one day display her rugs and other goods in her home to share her culture with visitors and earn extra income.
Suzana Perugachi
Suzana and her husband, Pedro Manuel, live with nine of their 12 children in Yambiro. Suzana grows crops like corn and blackberries for her family to eat. To increase their income, she happily joined the Rug Hooking Group. Although her hands trembled the first time she held the needle, and she didn’t believe she would ever be able to learn this new skill, she now is happily improving her abilities. She enjoys talking, laughing, and sharing stories with the other women. “We are learning from each other and I really like that,” she says.
Maria Margarita Cavascango
Maria lives with four children, her husband, Rodrigo Kilumbango, and his mother in Yambiro. Having a daughter with disabilities, she is not able to go far for work. She has appreciated learning to make rugs as it is an income-generating activity she can do at home. After learning the craft herself, Maria’s daughter is helping her create the rug designs. Maria says this is because, “She draws better than me.”
Josefina Oyegata
Josefina lives with her husband, José Manuel, and five children in a small house in Yambiro. She also has 13 grandchildren. She grows fruits and vegetables for her family, and has a pig and guinea-pigs on her farm. Like many of the women, she joined the Women’s Association of Yambiro to accomplish her dream of having irrigation water. Making rugs with the other women is another step forward she is taking to improve her family’s economic situation.
Aurora Perugachi
Aurora lives with her husband, five children, and three grandchildren in Yambiro, close to her sister Virginia’s house. She grows blackberries, strawberries, and vegetables to eat and earn money, as well as embroiders traditional blouses for herself and her family. While she first thought she would be too old to learn how to make rugs, she is now enjoying the new experience and feels happy she can work and share this craft with the other women.
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The Kichwa Otavalo Culture: Traditions Reflected Through Art
The Kichwa Otavalo people maintain deep connections to their Indigenous cultural identity and traditions. Speaking both Kichwa and Spanish, they have learned to negotiate the power structures of their nation while retaining pride in their Indigenous heritage. Nature has deep significance to the Kichwa Otavalo–the father and mother volcanoes, Imbabura and Cotacachi, stand guard over the valleys and hills where families maintain deep cultural connection to this land and place. Many of the rugs hooked by the Yambiro women’s group reflect scenes from highland Ecuador, including the beautiful natural world and vibrant culture of the region. The rug hookers offers a wide variety of beautiful designs, and may also be able to create rugs with a design relevant for your organization, business or family.
