Everyone in Valledupar is familiar with the name La Maye. Born María Sofía Martínez López, she has been affectionately referred to as La Maye since childhood. She has always cherished this nickname, since she feels people pronounce it with love. La Maye has garnered popularity because she never remains still. She is a leader, a mediator and a craftswoman who, for years, has pushed her community’s projects, until making them real. A native daughter of the Kankuamo community, she served as the coordinator of a women’s group and a crafting instructor in La Mina, Cesar, for fifteen years. Furthermore, she currently oversees the Craftswoman from la Sierra Society, established in 2012, while also collaborating with regional tourism entities. Additionally, she represents her department before AMUCIC, the Society of Indigenous, Rural, and Black Women of Colombia. Founded 37 years ago, this society now extends its care to women across the nation who are victims of the armed conflict.

In response to those seeking discounts when purchasing woven bags, La Maye takes the time to explain the intricate labor invested in each bag. She knows the craftswomen who make them—she is one herself. La Maye knows the crafting process begins with nurturing an aloe for four years until it bears its fruit. She’s well aware that subsequent steps involve cutting the leaves, removing thorns, placing them on a board, and meticulously cleaning them with a wooden tool called the macana to reveal the fibers. These fibers are then cleansed, dried, shaken, spun, dyed, and twisted into threads before being woven into bags. La Maye uses her voice for speaking up and defending the artisanal work of her Kankuamo community, at the same time she oversees and coordinates funding for projects that help spread their weaving tradition.

At the tender age of eight, La Maye learnt how to make the chipire, the belly button or foundations of every bag. Even though she learnt this at a young age, it has been challenging, for her and her group of craftswomen, to create the bonds that have helped them refine their skills There was a period when they utilized anilines for dyeing bags, leading to embarrassing situations where bags would stain the shoulders of buyers. Recognizing the disconnect between their practices and ancestral wisdom regarding natural dyes, they embarked on a mission to reclaim this knowledge. With the guidance of an instructor, they brought this lost art back to life. Presently serving as the manager of the Craftswoman from La Sierra Society, La Maye collaborates with 20 other women and assists an additional hundred women in marketing their crafts.

Just as threads intertwine in a bag, La Maye’s various faculties are interwoven: craftsmanship and social advocacy go hand in hand in her life. AMUCIC, a significant society she is part of, recently joined forces with the Victims Unit and JEP (The Special Justice System for the Peace Agreement). Together, they compiled a report concerning 700 orphans and 20 missing women who were victims of the regional conflict, who were unrecognized by the government. They have listened to and sought the stories of women who lost husbands or sons to violence. These women had never before been told “”come, stand with us, we are here for you.”” Providing support, they aid them in expressing and releasing their sorrow and suffering. Endowed with the necessary empathy, La Maye extends psychological assistance, including leading them to a river where they write their stories, offer them to the flowing water, and observe the current take their pain away. La Maye’s comprehension is rooted in her own experiences as a victim.

Whoever supports La Maye is supporting, perhaps without knowing it, a large and valuable network of craftswomen and victims of the war. Over the years, she has recognized that her true wish is for all of them to stand united. She firmly understands that peace hinges on their collective strength and union.