THE ART OF ALEJANDRO OSORES:

The Carved Mate Gourds of Peru

                The incising and carving of gourds is a very traditional Peruvian craft that predates Columbus and may even predate the Incas. The foremost practitioner of mate gourd carving is Alejandro Osores Cipriano. The gourds record the daily life and traditions of the Andean people. If you travel to Peru, you will see carved gourds for sale in most of the airports and gift shops in the tourist areas, but nothing in these mass markets compares to the exquisite intricacies of the work done by Alejandro Osores and his family.

                Alejandro was born in 1949 in the city of Huancayo which is located in the heart of the Andean highlands of Peru. His parents and grandparents were carvers in Cochas Grande, a small village of about 400 people a half hour east of Huancayo. The main livelihood of the villagers is carving gourds. This is where Alejandro grew up, learned his craft, married and raised his family. He has served as its mayor and is working on establishing a museum dedicated to mate gourd carving. 

                The most traditional shape of the gourds used for carving is phallic. But because the phallic shape is very difficult to carve, it is rare these days to find them available for purchase. The gourds used to be a traditional wedding gift which probably accounts for the erotica on many of them. The only tool used for carving is the buril or burin, a pointed steel cutting tool used in engraving or carving stone. After the gourd is incised, it is covered in vegetable oil and then a coat of black ash is applied. After that the carver will wipe the ash and oil off. The black ash stays in the incised areas. There is another style which combines burning the surface of the gourd and then engraving it. A white substance with oil is used instead of the black ash. This technique gives the gourd three colors. This style is generally not as refined as that of the single black incised gourds.