Tonacatepeque, San Salvador

Taller Jaragua is one of a kind, and it's not just because of the unique natural creations they produce. The aims of this workshop go far beyond just making and selling products. As José Vásquez put it, "Estamos construyendo un sueño," "We are constructing a dream." This dream includes having a way to feed their families without being trapped in an oppressive capitalist system. It includes using their workshop as a forum for education. They hope to show Salvadorans and foreigners alike the creativity and beauty that can come out of El Salvador, from the people and the land alike. They hope to encourage people to support small businesses. They exemplify this by buying the bulk of their materials, all of their seeds and coconut shells, from other Salvadoran families.

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All of these hopes come from the personal experiences of the people who make up this group. Evelyn Ramirez for example, spent three years working in a maquila. There she was treated like a machine, working 60 or 70 hours a week at the same monotonous task. She was never given a choice about whether or not she wanted to work overtime.