Fruit Art

Mates Burilados

24 Nov 2014 | From Marcos of Peru

POSTCROSSING SWAP

The chiselled gourds are fruits made into ornate handmade pumpkin through a technique called burilado (an instrument called chisel), which are produced in Peru - in the Mantaro Valley in Lambayeque and the Province of Huanta.

The legendary bulgaris gourd, known as mate in Peru, is the basis of the fine art of the mate burilado. The oldest carved gourds date back 3,500 years and were found in the Huaca Prieta temple (Chicama Valley) on Peru's north coast.

In more recent times, this practice has boomed in the town of Huanta near Ayacucho, where artisans made the mates huantas. These gourds stand out for the vitality of the thick but steady lines, which etch out scenes of everyday life in the Andes.

Another variation is that of miniature drawings, which can only be made out with a magnifying glass. The technique involves etching fine lines into the gourd with a scalpel called a buril, creating a series of drawings that generally represent active scenes of farming life.