When the Chaleche Craft Group began operating in 1971, its initial members were in their twenties, just starting their adult lives and marriages. Today, over half a century later, in the hamlet of Chaleche, municipality of Sesquilé, several of them still weave, bearing witness to the transformation of a region. They experienced a childhood where the Tominé Reservoir was not even a project, and their landscape was a fertile valley traversed by the Siecha River, abundant with crops, where cows and sheep grazed alike.

But everything changed in 1967 when a swath of land spanning three municipalities—Sesquilé, Guatavita, and Guasca—was flooded to create a massive reservoir that would supply water to Bogotá if ever needed. This altered land use and the economy. Guatavita la Nueva was constructed with tourism in mind, and water sports began to be practiced on its waters. While promising regional development, it disrupted many farmers’ ways of life. Worse yet, access to the lake dwindled as shores were allocated to clubs.

It was in this context that the Chaleche Craft Group was born. Anita de Castillo, whose family built their country home in this beautiful spot by the reservoir, noticed that women needed to supplement their incomes, diminished by declining agricultural activity. In her exploration, she discovered that many of them possessed an ancestral handicraft passed down through generations: wool weaving. Moreover, they were skilled in macramé. Thus, at a time when Artesanías de Colombia had only recently been founded, doña Anita saw a potential for her hamlet in manual crafts. She put out a call, and twelve women answered. The entry fee of 10 pesos opened the door, and soon after, the group took flight.

Within a year, they had 22 artisans crocheting large shawls with terlenka thread, embarking on the path of exports. They also received a donation of 10,000 pesos from the Secretariat of Popular Integration of the Presidency of the Republic and, in 1973, began receiving support in design and management from Artesanías de Colombia. This support led to a lucrative commission that allowed them to acquire the land where the Group stands today: making dividers, used to separate spaces or hang on walls. These hanging pieces were made of wool, cañuela, and chusque, adorned with tagua seeds. Popular during the 1980s, orders for the famous “sabanero dividers” from abroad increased their team to over sixty weavers.

Elvira Villalobos, one of the founders along with her sister Felisa, emphasizes that the Chaleche Craft Group is more than just a crafts store—it’s a community meeting place that brought rural electrification and a water supply to their area. It’s the hamlet’s refuge, where everyone gathers to make decisions, a shop that supplies the neighborhood with homemade products. Carmen Alcira Rodríguez leads the board, Benilda Hernández attends to customers diligently, and Bárbara Hernández weaves beautiful ruanas on a loom while also making rural sweets like arequipe and cheese. They, along with other women, bake bread and churn fresh butter. Felisa Villalobos, Elvira’s sister, has been a weaving mentor to many. Ana Elvia Villalobos and Ana Isabel Sánchez also weave, as does Rosa Aurora Cortés, the youngest among them, who brings joy to these masters. Together, they continue crafting woolen coats, hats, socks, and shawls. They also make the chal-ruana, a turtle-necked shawl that is a beauty in itself. These strong women, now in their seventies, persist with hope for a generational succession that understands wool as the ideal excuse to continue weaving community bonds.