In Jericó, nestled in the coffee-growing region of southwest Antioquia in Colombia, the streets rise almost vertically between vividly colored houses. This southwestern city in the Antioquia region is the cradle of one of Colombia’s most cherished accessories: the paisa carriel, a small leather accordion-fold bag.
On the corner of a sloping street, behind a white and red façade, the workshop “Carrielarte Jericó” catches the eye. Inside, pale walls contrast with the long strips of leather hanging. Under the neon lights, Rubén works bent over his bench, a brown apron tied across his chest, his face focused on a piece of hide. Around him, the scent of leather tells the story of the muleteers who crossed the mountains.
“Welcome to the guarnielería”, Rubén says without lifting his eyes from his work. “This is where we manufacture the typical guarniel of the Paisa region, which newer generations now call a carriel”. Beside him, Cathy, a local guide and founder of the Kaanas Travel agency, adds, “The word “carriel” comes from the English carry-all, which means “everything-carrier.” But for artisans like Rubén, the real name remains guarniel. That is why he does not consider himself a mere leatherworker, but a guarnielero”.
An Accordion Bag with Multiple Pockets
In the workshop, Rubén demonstrates the various pieces laid out on the table. “A carriel is a 116-piece leather puzzle”. On some models, red and yellow accents appear in the stitching. “Those colors are the ones on Jericó’s flag”, Rubén specifies before adding “nothing here is chosen at random”.
He then slowly opens a finished model. Inside appear the famous secret pockets. “Traditionally, there are twelve”, he explains. “In the days of the arrieros (the muleteers), these pockets were essential. Men carried their entire lives in them.”
Cathy then takes over to describe the usefulness of this object. ” muleteers sometimes spent months in the mountains. They had a reinforced pocket for a revolver or a knife, needles and thread to repair coffee bags, a mirror, a candle for caves, tobacco, dice for playing, family photos, and even images of protective saints”.
The shaggy foal leather that covers the front of the carriel immediately catches visitors’ attention. Cathy explains that this aspect comes from a very old tradition. “In the past, artisans used skins of wild animals such as jaguar or ocelot. Today, these species are protected. Artisans now work only with cowhide, but they have kept this hairy texture which has become the carriel’s signature.”
How artisans adapt the carriel to today’s needs
In one corner of the workshop, several sizes are lined up on shelves, from the smallest to the largest. “There are sixteen different sizes,” Rubén explains. “The smallest is called the Chichigua. It’s made for babies who are starting to walk, so they can already carry the identity of their region.”
“For years, it was a very macho world,” Rubén acknowledges. But about 82 years ago, artisan Gildardo Uribe created the first carriel with an oval shape designed for women. This marked a shift in this craft. Since 2012, Rubén’s daughters, Alejandra and Carolina, have become the first women in their lineage to work officially as leather artisans in the family workshop.
The business has existed for more than seventy-six years and has received three national craft medals. Yet despite this recognition, the trade remains fragile. “In some regions, it has disappeared completely,” Rubén explains. Some artisans have even lost the old traditional models. The Jericó workshop participates in rebuilding this know-how, as in San Pedro de los Milagros, for example, to revive production there.
The modern world has also transformed the use of the carriel, and artisans have had to adapt. Today they also produce contemporary backpacks, thermos holders, and laptop bags, while preserving the ancient guarniel techniques.
*This report was made possible by ProColombia within the TRECC project (Responsible, Community, and Cultural Tourism), which allowed us to discover “The country of beauty”.
