Meet Christian Leyva Jorge, who owns a shop on a side street off the main drag of Calle Sagarnaga. As we stood surrounded by shelves packed to the brim with silver and Incan pottery, Christian told us how he was living in a small village called Llallagua (in the department of Potosí), when a traveling antiques-dealer with a beautiful daughter came to town. Instantly smitten, Christian and the antique dealer’s daughter were soon married and moved to La Paz. When his mother-in-law, noting that her new son-in-law was unemployed, told Christian that he couldn't live on love alone ("no puedes vivir solo de amor"), he took the hint and asked her to teach him the antiquing trade, which she gladly did.
One of a Kind!
The Manta Pin: so much cooler than a button. Used to fasten mantas, the traditional woolen textiles that Bolivians wear wrapped around their shoulders, pins like this literally clinch an outfit for your stylish cholita. We purchased this gorgeous specimen from Christian Jorge, who told us that it was crafted in a factory similar to the Casa de Moneda (i.e. the mint), and was fashioned using the same stamping technique they previously employed to make coins.
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