Foundation

Comunidad is a non-profit (501(c)(3) organization formed in 2002 by ArtAndes and friends.  Comunidad worked with indigenous people in the Peruvian highlands, whose lives and communities were decimated by the terrorist group in the 1980s and 90s. 

One such community is the village of Paccha, in the mountains near Ayacucho, where Comunidad started focusing their efforts.  With much of the adult male population brutally murdered in 1989, the area has been slow to recover, with only widows and orphans, and a government eager to forget this painful chapter in its country’s history.  But Paccha was also the home town of the Quispe’s, master weavers for ArtAndes, who had not forgotten their people.  Please read “A Durable Weave”, to learn more about the Quispe brothers and to gain a better understanding of why Comunidad was created.

Comunidad extended from Paccha to several other villages, giving people the opportunities and tools they need to get themselves and their communities back on their feet. Comunidad carefully allocated their resources, which came solely in the form of private donations, helping to create a self-sustaining bridge for people, back to the life they once had.

Check out the past posts for a historical look at Comunidad’s work.

Listen to Wilbur Quispe's story on National Public Radio (NPR)

Click here to listen to the fascinating and moving life story of Wilbur Quispe, which aired on NPR.