Coffee Region: Transport and Culture
in a Mountainscape

We descend into the valley of the Magdalena River and climb into the Central mountain range into the coffee region that extends through four states. Large populations have colonized this vast territory which is predominantly an Andean tropical forest characterized by richly bio-diverse steep slopes and river networks. Since the mid-1800s, settlers have sought new forms of livelihood based on corn and on an export economy specializing in growing, processing, and developing the international market for coffee.

This ecosystem, with its favorable climate, volcanic soils, and optimal weather conditions, is well suited for growing coffee. A largely manual process of cultivation and production enables entire families to participate in this work that sustains the rural economy. A culture and a vigorous sense of identity associated with the coffee industry has emerged, which integrates work, housing, transportation, and foodways, and gained national and international renown.

PARTICIPANTS

Jhon Jairo Amortegui Piña, yipero (jeep driver and loader), Calarcá
Jhon Jairo “Guama” Amortegui is one of the most recognized yiperos of the Coffee Region. He drives the Willys Jeep model 54 and is well known for his tricks in competitions. He learned his tricks and how to drive from his father, and he has devoted his life to transporting coffee, bananas, households, and even people in his jeep.

María Dilia Dávila Ríos, hat maker, Aguadas, Departamento de Caldas
María Dilia Dávila weaves the fine hats made from the iraca palm, which grow in the región. The iraca palm fiber is very fine and contributes to the hat’s light and elegant style—and the fact that the hat is soft enough to roll for storage. María Dilia Dávila is among the three hundred hat weavers in the town of Aguadas, all of whom learned this craft from their mothers. This hat weaving tradition dates back to the nineteenth century.

Lida Isabel Hernández Dávila, hat maker, Aguadas, Departamento de Caldas
Lida is María Dilia Dávila’s twelve-year-old daughter. She learned to weave hats with the iraca palm from her mother and now helps her to make them.

María Yolanda Franco García, cook, Medellín
Yolanda has been in the food business in Medellín for over fifteen years. She is experienced in making regional foods, such as papa rellena, chorizo, and fríjoles, She works with her husband, who owns a snack shop, and she can make almost 500 arepas every weekend.

José Carlos Jiménez Jaramillo, guadua bamboo builder, Calarcá
José Carlos Jiménez has been studying the properties of building with guadua bamboo for over 18 years. His interest started as a child when he was living on a family farm near a forest patch of guadua. In his work, he is involved in every stage of the process from cutting the guadua to designing and constructing buildings.

Leonel de Jesús Loaiza Muñoz, mule driver, Concordía, Antioquia
Leonel de Jesús Loaiza has been a traditional mule driver for over forty years. His mules carry various agricultural products, especially fruits grown in the farms of Concordia. He has perfected different forms of packing mules.

Ana de Jesús Marín de Giraldo, basket weaver, Filandia
At the age of seventeen, Ana de Jesús Marín learned how to weave baskets from her uncle Juan Gregorio, a well-known Filandia master weaver. She knows the entire process from harvesting to drying and processing locally grown chusco and tripe de perro vines. She is a member of the Association of Artisans of Filandia (Asociación de Artesanos de Filandia).

Ofelia Marín Márquez, basket weaver, Filandia
Doña Ofelia Marín was born and raised in the San Jose neighborhood of Filandia. As a little girl, she learned at home how to weave with the excess or left-over materials from her parents and siblings. Now she weaves baskets with tripe de perro vines that she collects in the nearby forest.  In addition to making baskets to sell, she participates in the annual desfile de yipao (Jeep Parade) by helping to decorate a jeep with her family.

José Alexander Salazar Tapiero, coffee grower, Calarcá
José Alexander Salazar comes from a family of coffee farmers. He gained his vast knowledge of how to grow and process coffee under his father’s guidance and later through his studies in agricultural sciences at the University of Quindío. Currently he is a researcher with the Federation of Coffee Growers.

Jorge Iván Valencia Londoño, coffee grower, Dos Quebradas, Pereira
Jorge Iván Valencia learned about coffee growing by working the land with his father. Today Jorge Iván works full-time on his farm and on planting, cultivating, processing, and commercializing the coffee that he produces. In spite of coffee disease and low prices, he is able to support his family producing certified coffee.

Aires del Campo, string music group, Girardota

• Manuel José Cadavid Cataño, director, musician (tiple)
• Óscar de Jesús Cadavid Cataño, musician (first bandola)
• Jorge Enrique Cadavid García, musician (guacharaca)
• Elkin de Jesús Meneses Rojo, musician (second bandola
• Fernán de Jesús Rojo Meneses, musician (guitar)

Aires del Campo is a traditional string music ensemble from the Coffee Region. They excel at bandola and tiple, instruments traditional to the area. The members of the group are cousins and learned to play from their fathers, uncles, and grandfather. The group plays Andean music along with party tunes of the Paisa culture.