María Alves became well-versed in her art thanks to a special friendship. In 2014, she crossed paths with Luzmila Villegas, a skilled Cubeo craftswoman who welcomed her into the intricate universe of cumare weaving. Although María herself belongs to the Desano indigenous group, she had never seen her people weave bags from cumare fibers. Instead, cumare was traditionally used for crafting vests worn during their celebrations. However, when Luzmila entered her life and became her friend, María had the opportunity to leverage her wealth of knowledge.

With Luzmila’s guidance, María learned to construct her very first loom using bamboo. This initial loom would later be replaced by one crafted from bay wood, made with the help of her husband and used in the present for fashioning her weaves. She also acquired the skills needed to harvest the thorny palm’s shoots and, subsequently, to weave its fibers with meticulous attention to detail. Additionally, she was instructed in the art of naturally dyeing the fibers using palm crusts, seeds, and leaves, as well as blending natural dyes with a touch of anilines, concoctions that result in a more diverse variety of colors.

Through dedication and practice, María evolved into a refined artisan who demonstrates her skill caring for detail. Her weaves are flawless, devoid of knots, and have machine-sealed edges. On occasion, she enhances her creations by incorporating seeds found in the same scrubland where she harvests cumare—pachuba, maracas, guama, chochitos, and devil’s eye seeds. María’s repertoire extends to crafting bags of various sizes, shapes from round to angular, and her creations may feature handcrafted cumare flowers or embroidered leaves and flowers. Her mastery of the craft led her to exhibit her work at San José fairs and receive orders from customers who admired her craftsmanship.

The friendship between María and Luzmila remains strong. Following in her mentor’s footsteps, María has become a teacher herself, passing on the wisdom of cumare weaving to others. Her seven children have learned the art of weaving and dyeing, and they assist their mother in fulfilling orders whenever they are not occupied. Furthermore, she has shared her craft with two of her sisters, not without talking them into the benefits of delving into the weaving universe and working alongside her. As a teacher, María has come to understand that each apprentice is unique. While one of her sisters possesses an intuitive grasp of the technique, the other requires more guidance. María exhibits the same patience with her sister as Luzmila once showed her during her own learning journey. Today, when Luzmila admires the creations of her former apprentice, she is struck by the realization that the student has indeed become the master.