CESAR LAZARTE

District: Yanque
Province: Caylloma
Region: Arequipa

Chalhuanca is located at 4,300 meters above sea level and approximately 3 hours from Arequipa, on the road to Chivay. Most of the route is paved.

It is a town rich in cultural, archaeological, pre-Inca, and Inca traditions. It is also where the great geological fault of the Colca Valley originates. One of its most representative sites is the “Window of the Colca,” located within its jurisdiction.

The area is also known for the breeding of South American camelids such as llamas and alpacas, valued worldwide for their generous and highly prized fiber.

It is the headwater of the Chili River basin, the most representative river of Arequipa, and a region rich in flora and fauna.

As is well known, the Colca is a highly recognized geographical area due to the depth of its canyon and its rich Collagua and Cabana culture. Chalhuanca is part of this cultural heritage.

I learned embroidery from my parents, especially from my mother, Hilda Vilca, who created embroidered table linens and garments both for personal use and for sale to acquaintances and family members. She also shared this technique with my brother, Ernesto Lazarte, who became my unconditional support in mastering the technique known as maquinasca—machine embroidery guided by hand precision. Through this, I have refined my craft over the past 25 years, training in various embroidery techniques.

I have also received training in business management, commerce, and business planning. In turn, I have trained many people in the city of Chivay, many of whom are currently working, and I have shared my knowledge and techniques in other localities as well.

I am an entrepreneur thanks to the support of my family, especially my wife, Clotilde Taco Mamani, and my children, Alexandra and Rodrigo, who are my motivation and driving force.

Currently, I work in this beautiful craft both in Chalhuanca and in Arequipa, where I am closer to the final consumer and have better communication with suppliers.

Through this journey, I have also met many people who have supported me, such as my friend Javier Urday and Mrs. Griela from Las Polleras de Agus. Thank you, my friends.

Today, I create a wide variety of embroidered pieces, including traditional topocho costumes, polleras (skirts), shirts, bodices, jackets, handbags, belts, and embroidered applications for garments such as dresses, shirts, denim jackets, and more.

OUR POSITIVE SOCIAL IMPACT

We have built a business model based on the quality of life of our collaborators, starting with fair salary payments. We generates employment cocreating with artists from vulnerable areas of different provinces of the country.
More than 23 popular artists from Ayacucho, Huánuco, Huancayo, Cusco, Pucallpa, Lima and Arequipa are benefited by our teamwork with the craftsmen.

COMMITMENT WITH THE ENVIRONMENT

We have an environmental, health and safety policy that establishes group goals for key environmental aspects. To promote the responsible consumption and to educate our community so they will value the environment as we do. We produce 3 collections a year. We reuse all the waste of our raw material, making accessories or dolls.The materials we use come from sustainable sources, as well as the wastes of deadstock materials from the textile and leather industry.

2025 - 2026 AIDER & NIIBIRI

The main objective is to promote the conservation of the Amazon forests, where families of native communities of the Shipibo Conibo and Cacataibo ethnic groups live, and to contribute to improving their quality of life.
We will achieve this by working hand in hand between NIIBIRI, AGUSTINA, and AIDER, in the development and co-creation of "Products with history", which come from a sustainable management of natural resources, through the Forestry Alliance initiative.