The porongo, calabaza de peregrino or, in English, the Calabash fruit is traditionally used in South America as a container for mate, tea made from various herbs. In recent years, Peru’s artisans have been using them to create beautiful works of art to sell to foreign visitors.

I met this skilled artisan (below) in Pachacamac and he showed me how he carves the shapes onto the dried fruit…

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Tags: artesania, mate, mates burilados, peregrino, porongo