El Mopa-Mopa o Barniz de Pasto, Comercialización Indígena en el Periodo Colonial

Abstract

This article refers to “Mopa-Mopa” or city of Pasto varnish and its marketing during the colonial period. It shows the various transformations of craftsmanship of “Pasto varnish” since pre-Hispanic origin to its current consolidation.

At the beginning it relates the varnish rise in the pre-Columbian period and its great social, symbolic and cultural importance, along with its expansion from lands of southern Colombia to northern Ecuador, and Quillasinga in many villages of the Inca Empire. In colonial times refers to the traffic by the Indian trade routes that moved out natural products of each region through mountains, moors and valleys. This activity was done by the “Pasto Mindalas”, the Cofan and Sibundoy communities. In the last part it presents various descriptions of chroniclers of the time on this tradition, which today is valid as manifestation of the Hispano American mixing.