Ambassador Nancy Ovelar de Gorostiaga, Permanent Delegate of Paraguay to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), made the official presentation of the candidature of the ancient and traditional techniques of the poncho for heritage.
The presentation took place at the organization’s headquarters during a meeting with the director and secretary of the Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Tim Curtis, La Nación newspaper reported.
The proposal was the initiative of the Paraguayan Institute of Crafts and the National Minister of Culture, among other institutions.
The purpose of the application presented is to promote craftsmanship in its recognition at national and international level through the poncho of 60 lists.
This textile work of great beauty and creative complexity also emphasizes the importance of the Paraguayan woman’s role as a fundamental pillar in preserving the components of the culture, historically responsible for their oral and practical transmission to the following generations. .
In Paraguay, dozens of families are dedicated to weaving this traditional Para’i poncho, mainly in the town of Piribebuy.
The 60 list poncho got its name in memory of the 60 soldiers who were killed during the war against the Triple Alliance and buried in a communal grave with black and white ponchos in the town of Piribebuy.
The Ambassador mentioned that this is Paraguay’s second historic candidacy for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
In August 2021, this organization certified the Tereré and the Pohã ñaña as Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The declaration helped raise awareness of the importance of the tereré as a clear symbolic element of Paraguayan unity, promoting dialogue and making cultural diversity visible worldwide.
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