Bertha was born in Linares but considers herself to be from Sandoná. Although she still remembers having been raised by her grandmother Doña María Josefina Ortega —who wove until she was 98 and died after reaching the age of 100—, she left her hometown and moved to Sandoná at a very young age. She keeps track of how many years it has been since she started weaving and says proudly that she has been practicing the trade since she was six. She used to stand by her grandmother’s side and watch her weave skillfully. She did so with her aunts and older cousins as well.

When she felt she was ready, she “stole” a little bit of straw and tried to make a small hat in secret. However, one of her aunts found her out. Bertha begged her not to tell on her, but she ended up before Doña Josefina’s stern eyes all the same. Nevertheless, instead of scolding her, the grandmother celebrated the child’s drive and talent: she even promised to train her. Bertha was so good at the craft that her mother gave her straws as soon as she came back from school to make hats that her grandmother later finished. At 14, she was already an expert.

She is aware that her childhood was difficult: that she lacked her mother’s love, that she didn’t receive enough affection, that she wishes she got gifts from time to time. Yet, she knows that all of this made her strong and taught her how to live. Although she has always felt this emptiness inside her, it is enough for her to have been able to enjoy Josefina’s love. Unexpectedly, she got pregnant at 17 and had to leave her childhood home. It was then that she set out for Sandoná. The town welcomed her with arms wide open: she finally received the warmth that was not available for her at home. She raised her four children there. Although her marriage did not last, she was able to provide for her children and give them the education she was never able to get.

She stopped regretting not having become a stewardess or a police officer and devoted herself to weaving. She wanted to flourish and follow in her grandmother’s footsteps since she also had to raise her family on her own. Bertha has learned many weaving techniques over the years: openwork; simple, cross, and paired cords; squares, and rectangles; cookies; dolls; and roses, just to name a few. These are but a small portion of the thousands of weaves that she has set out to teach aspiring craftspeople. Above all, she has tried to show the distinct particularities of each of her weaves to every one of her customers so that they can notice the value and work behind the stitches.

Just as hat molds are needed to make hats, capotera needles are needed for coil weaving, her favorite technique and one in which she has excelled remarkably. Her hands have taken her to fairs all over the country, where she has been able to represent Sandoná. She always carries her grandmother’s name close to her heart.