What seizes you in Silvia market is the colorful clothing of the local people.
It seems every Guambiano is dressed to impress, ready to meet and greet at this social gathering.
CONTENTS
Market Day in Silvia
Tuesday is Silvia’s market day.
Getting there takes 1.5 hours from the regional capital of Popayán.
A mini-van or bus drives into the lush rolling hills of the Andes to drop you in the town center.
Silvia is located at 2620 meters.
At this altitude – it’s cool, often cold and rainy, so be prepared.
Amid the market, indigenous Guambiano (or Misak) people from surrounding villages gather to buy and sell fresh produce or household goods.
Guambiano Culture
Guambianos are an Agricultural People.
Food grown locally includes 8 varieties of potatoes, plus beans, garlic, onions, lentils, coffee, cassava. And depending on the season, cabbage, beans and many other kinds of vegetables are also grown.
Cultivation is still done by plow and rake to break up the soil and, during weeding and harvesting, a hoe is used.
The steep surrounding land is cultivated collectively.
This common work is called Minga.
They ask their family, friends or neighbors to help with farming or construction, followed by a social drink and/or a meal. (An Andean tradition that provides a sense of cooperation, unity, and social cohesion).
Bright Traditional Clothing
Wandering the market, you see these vendor-gathered scenes the world over … EXCEPT here, the Guambiano people display a dress sense that grabs your gaze.
Men wear bowler hats (or pork-pie trilbys) with thick dark ponchos, colored scarves, and long blue skirts.
Females – also with hats – shine in flowing black skirts with bands of color, brightened by indigo-blue shawls with pink trim, and masses of white-beaded necklaces.
Also, women carry a bag, said to hold their weaving tools, since one of the most treasured traditions is weaving; the tribal name “Guambiano” is linked to this bag, the “guambia.”
While they raise cows, pigs, rabbits, or chickens, it’s from sheep, which belong to the women, that wool is transformed into their warm and unique clothing.
Their World View
This traditional styling forms Guambiano identity, and while many speak Spanish, they also preserve their native tongue.
Their spiritual life centers on a blend of Catholic practices and traditional animism — believing every part of nature is alive with spirits.
“Mother Earth must be respected, cared for, and looked after. Cultivating the land is the ideal way of accomplishing this. The earth must be helped to be able to produce, so it is necessary to feed, maintain, and warm her, to dance, to sing, and above all, to chaperon her.”
SOURCE: BnBColombia
This perspective shapes Guambiano farming practices, land care, and rituals.
Travels in Colombia – 2003
