Description
Participating in a mola workshop is a unique experience you can enjoy in Panama City. Molas are part of the traditional clothing of the Guna indigenous people. You can see women wearing these garments while traveling through San Blas, or even in the capital city itself, which has a significant Guna population.
Depending on the community, Guna women begin learning to make molas in puberty or even earlier. In the mola workshop, you too can learn this handmade technique using reverse appliqué. To create a mola, several layers of fabric in various colors are sewn together, between two and seven. Pieces are cut from each layer to form the design. Molas vary in quality, and the price varies accordingly. It can take anywhere from two weeks to six months to make a mola, depending on the complexity of the design.
Igua, who leads the workshop, is a Guna woman who speaks English, having won a scholarship to study in the United States. In addition to leading the workshops, she is also a guide, artisan, and graphic designer. Her work experience includes the Reprosa jewelry store and the Biomuseo. The idea for the workshops arose from the curiosity of Biomuseo visitors. As an artisan, she saw the need to offer a workshop so people could learn about the history and meaning of the mola in an educational way, knowledge she has acquired since the age of seven.
The mola workshop includes learning a song in the Guna language. Participants will learn about the meaning of the mola and the history of the Guna people through images. They will also be able to create a small mola. All materials are included.
Includes:
- Instructor
- Threads, needles, fabrics, and scissors with points
- Small mola
- Taxes
Available: year round.
Time: 2 hours.
What to bring? drinks.
Important information: the mola workshop needs a minimum of two participants. The prefered schedule is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., but this can be modified according to the availability of the participants. This workshop is done in a space in Casco Viejo that charges $10 per person, which is included in the cost of the workshop.