3-Day 3-Week 3-Cities Blacksmith Workshops in Peru
3-Day 3-Week 3-Cities Blacksmith Workshops in Peru
Thursday, December 6, 2007
I spent the month of November giving blacksmithing workshops in Huancayo, Lima, and Piura, Peru. Aceros Arequipa, a manufacturer of Peruvian steel products has been giving seminars, workshops, and demonstrations to the local Peruvian metalworkers for several years and has now expanded their program to include hands-on training with the addition of 16 anvils and 8 coal forges.
The blacksmith workshops are held in different cities throughout Peru at different times of the year. I was fortunate and honored to be the instructor for this series. The workshop included a design I created specifically for the students. It is a hand forged wrought iron book-end with hot-cut Nazca Lines and includes the hummingbird glyph. The main purpose for this design is to give the local smiths the ability to create a sellable product to the tourist industry. Something small enough to fit in a suitcase and carry some of the mysticism found in this wonderful and sacred country.
See the photo album for photos taken at the three different cities. I’ve also included a videocast of the presentation I gave before the start of each workshop. The video includes arial photos of the Nazca Lines along with still photos of the various steps necessary to create the Nazca Lines Hummingbird Book-end.