The beautiful story of the artisans who embroider the typical Santanderean costume that captivated Disney

Lucy Aguilar is one of the more than 50 ladies dedicated to this art in Vélez, Santander. The first memory that she has of these dresses of hers is transferred from her when she was eight years old to the municipality of Bolívar, where her ninth Rosalía Hernández wore this garment on special occasions.

"She used dark skirts with ribbons. At that time they were not as well elaborated as they are now. The skirt was worn in black, dark green, strong burgundy... The older women used a single tone and blouse, while the younger ones wore different colors and blouses", says Lucy at 66 years old.

The embroiderer remembers that these costumes were not worn all the time by the peasant women, but that these dresses were reserved for specific occasions, for example, in the patron saint festivities of the surrounding municipalities such as Sucre, Jesús María, Guabatá and La Paz.

"They also used it when they made pilgrimages to Chiquinquirá, in fact they bought the shawl there. They embroidered their suit by hand with the few elements and resources they had. They put on espadrilles and a hat with a peacock, redfish or parrot feather "explains the woman.

In this way, the suit became a tradition for the region that while it was inherited from generation to generation, it was perfected. One of the changes is that in the past the suit was pressed, its fold was about three centimeters, but now it is half a centimeter.