In addition to the eclectic collection of folk art that Las Pallas offers to visitors with an eye for quality, the shop has once again set up an impressive display of Christmas and holiday crafts and art collected from all over Peru. We listed Las Pallas in our holiday shopping guide last year and have profiled the shop in two previous blogs, which you can check out:
- 25 Years of Las Pallas, Arts and Crafts in Barranco
- Bird Watching in Barranco: Las Pallas features Peruvian artisans avian artwork
Shop owner Mari Solari has an eye for folk art and decades of experience seeking out and extracting quality artisanal works from a myriad of Peruvian cultures. In keeping with the Las Pallas tradition, she has transformed what is usually her living room into a public Christmas exhibit, featuring an ornamented cactus as well as a mountain of nativity scenes and colorful crafts in honor of the “Apus” (mountain deities) of Peru. Everything on the ‘Christmas Cactus’ and mountain display is for sale, except for the cactus itself, which will return to Mari’s personal garden at the end of the season. The decorations are a mix of carved, hand painted angels, woven pieces like llamas and wooden ornaments of little animals of Peru like the famous cuy (or guinea pigs).
Most notably, the Christmas exhibit displays handmade nativity scenes from all different regions and cultures in Peru, from the coast to the sierra and the selva (rainforest). Each set is completely unique and representative of the region. Even for those who do not celebrate Christmas, the artistry is something to marvel at; the various different scenes and religious figures are all distinct and crafted with care. There are also several intricate retablos of the nativity scene that are a typical adornment in Peruvian homes at Christmas time, as well as a few brightly colored arpilleras, which are appliqued textile pictures. And for children on your Christmas shopping list, Mari recently received a variety of handmade dolls that are made of soft wool and are rather adorable.
For this article it may be best to let the pictures speak for themselves as visual proof that Las Pallas should definitely be at the top of your shopping list during a visit in Peru, at Christmas time or at any time of the year. If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind gift from Peru, Las Pallas is highly recommended. The exhibition runs until the 6th of January after which the shop will be closed for a week so that Mari’s living room can resume its true role!
