Ecuador · Multi-strand glass bead weaving and stringing
Collares / Mullos
The stringing and weaving of small glass beads into collares — elaborate multi-strand necklaces reaching from neck to shoulder — practiced by women (and a few men) of the Saraguro Kichwa people of Loja province, one of the very few Indigenous groups in Ecuador to have survived the Spanish conquest with their customs and identity intact, and widely regarded as the country's best-preserved Indigenous community. Notably, this is genuinely distinct from the community's better-known silver jewelry (tupos, earrings): available sourcing specifically documents that Saraguro silverwork is made for the community by non-Indigenous artisans in the area, whereas beadwork is the craft Saraguro people themselves practice and have made distinctively their own, particularly since the introduction of bead needles and nylon thread in the 1970s sparked what is documented as an explosion of creative technique and pattern — an evolution that continues today with the incorporation of imported Czech Fire-polished beads, drawing visitors from around the world specifically to learn the craft.
Risk level: Vulnerable · Not Applicable — no UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage inscription exists for this craft at time of writing
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