This artisan, born in Miraflores, Boyacá, brought her craft to Tame, Arauca, which she learnt from a young age. From her childhood, she admired the beautiful baskets used in the marketplace, the same ones she purchased to carry eggs from her rural home, where she lived with her parents and six siblings, to town, where she sold them. She grew up observing her mother weave mats using the reeds that grew along the lagoon’s shores and swamps and helped her gather and dry them. One day, inspired by this craft, she decided to make her own egg baskets. She searched for castilla cane and persisted until she made her first basket. Mastering the handling of this fiber, which could easily cut one’s hands if mishandled, she then experimented with swamp reeds, crafting a larger basket suitable for storing clothes. She continued making and selling her baskets and mats on Sundays, walking through the town until she found buyers.

At 22, she arrived in Tame with her husband and two young children, aged one and two. They had followed a relative’s advice after hearing rumors about available land for settlement. However, finding suitable land was challenging. They had to cross rivers and travel many kilometers. With two toddlers in tow, they eventually purchased a plot near Tame and settled in this warmer climate, far removed from Miraflores’ cooler weather and its diverse marketplaces offering resources such as castilla cane and reeds, essential for Ana Delia’s craft.

In Arauca, she encountered iraca and plantain trunk fibers, and although she swiped fibers, the technique remained largely the same. Having learned her craft through hands-on experience, adapting to new materials wasn’t difficult with her existing basketry skills. Iraca grew in abundance around her new home, located in a humid and swampy area. Soon, she learned to process it and skillfully incorporated it into her craft.

The baby she carried upon arriving in Arauca is now 57 years old, and Ana Delia has spent her entire life weaving baskets. Initially selling her crafts on Sundays, her reputation gradually spread among customers, leading to more orders. She stood out in this new region for her crafts from Boyacá, where basket-making was not a common tradition. Additionally, she began creating mats, which people purchased for sleeping on the floor. Despite having six more children and her husband falling ill, she single-handedly supported their household by weaving baskets. Moreover, she financially supported her children’s education by sending them money earned from crafting.

Later on, she discovered plantain trunk fibers and used them to create figurative pieces like owl designs, which became quite popular. Her work was even showcased during her town’s festivities, participating in the creation of nativity scenes exhibited in the town hall during December. As age brought its challenges, she transitioned to crafting smaller pieces that didn’t require prolonged crouching, such as smaller baskets and mats. A visit to her reveals a seasoned artisan, an exemplar of dedication to a craft upheld throughout a lifetime.