Casa Telar: The legacy of Lickanantay textiles

Local heritage program

After a period of virtual classes held due to the pandemic, the Casa Telar program is developing new actions to preserve this ancient art. The program was created in Salar de Atacama by Fundación ONA as part of a collaborative initiative with the community and SQM.  Participants have returned to in-person workshops and master classes taught by textile teachers under strict public health measures. The goal of Casa Telar is to increase students’ knowledge of this practice, which has been developed in the territory for centuries and, in doing so, to revive this Lickanantay tradition in a space that allows the community to come together.

“Casa Telar is important because we have roots that were created by our grandparents and have lasted for many years. We have vestiges of woven textiles, and it is very important to preserve and maintain them,” explains Casa Telar Coordinator and Toconao community member Inés Crus, describing how important it is to rescue this art as part of the community’s heritage.

“Since created in 2017, Casa Telar has worked to revitalize textile techniques, especially weaving. This project is based on the interest of local weavers in this activity as a personal and community quest focused on learning, teaching and business opportunities. This will generate resources and parallel income through the textile trades,” explains Fundación ONA Executive Director Macarena Peña.

For her part, Casa Telar docent Alejandra Fuenzalida noted the return to in-person classes, which will allow teachers to support student learning in a more personalized manner. “We will make progress on details that we didn’t address because they are harder to correct online. It is easier to see how they work in person, and it is also much faster due to the technical complexity,” the teacher explains. She hopes that 2022 will be a year of new challenges and will allow participants to create a collection of innovative textile products.

Reviving ancient practices

The initiative, which is being implemented in the towns of Larache, Socaire, Talabre and Toconao, has won the praise of all of the students, including Marlene Zuleta, who joined in 2019. She highlights the progress that she made during remote learning. “I like the designs and weaving techniques the most, as well as the types of weaving and the companionship that the workshop participants share,” she said.

SQM Vice President of Salar Communities Alejandro Bucher noted the program’s contribution to recovering this ancient Atacaman technique and to the sustainable development of communities. This aligns with the company’s Sustainability Plan, which includes lines of action designed to create shared social value with communities with a focus on areas such as social and production development and reclaiming local heritage.

“Creating these collaborative learning spaces and adapting them based on the various stages of the pandemic has allowed us to keep this art alive. Local artisans have demonstrated a high level of interest in these activities throughout. This initiative allows them to create products with significant cultural value and a unique level of quality that they can then sell, thus driving a local production chain. It thus contributes to improving Salar residents’ quality of life, reinforcing our commitment to sustainability,” the executive concluded.