view over santiago de chile
 
Chile, the land of geographical extremes and contrasts, the homeland of diverse natural wonders, the land of prodigious adventure.

CHILEAN CULTURE

chilean flag on top of mountain with view on the harbour
This exceptionally thin and long country, expands from the South America’s belly till the end of its foot, being the motherland of the driest desert on Earth and the immense southern glacial fields. The landscape encompasses great volcanoes, parched dunes, fruitful valleys, ancient forests, gigantic fjords and glaciers. The aforementioned mother nature’s shapes are to be considered as some of the most pristine bits of the planet. When it comes to the culture’s well-known characteristics, wine falls under this category. Nowadays, Chile is a worldwide wine producer, coming in all different types, pleasuring taste buds of every single wine enthusiast. The locals connect the ‘having a glass of wine moment’ with a great meal, lovely company and the possibility of having overlapping conversations while clinking glasses. Family plays a crucial role in Chileans’ life, which can as well be seen in the fact that many small companies are 100% run by the family members.
The official language of Chile is Spanish, however, along with this there is a number of indigenous languages, such as Mapudungun (in between river Itata and Tolten) or Aymara (northern mountains).
women with wide skirts dancing in chile

HANDMADE IN CHILE

THE CHILEAN CRAFTS

chilean crafts: knitting alpaca wool by hand
The Chilean crafts are a reflection of the heavy impact coming from the indigenous cultures from the past, blending in with modern aspects of their day to day life. The traditional craft products are made of local materials, such as leather, alpaca wool, clay, silver, wood, copper and lapis lazuli. These materials are transformed by talented craftsmen into unique and Chilean-feel products, as an example: ‘mapuche poncho’ or ‘gorro chilote’ which stand for a traditional warm poncho and a woollen hat. The aforementioned, ‘lapis lazuli’, mainly used for jewellery, is a very rare bright blue semi-precious stone, so precious that it can only be found in Chile and Afghanistan.
When it comes to pottery, Chile is the place to be! It offers a great variety of all possible types and sizes of pottery found at the local markets, some areas even have special pottery habits incorporating special designs and patterns.
artisan selling chilean handicrafts in the mountains

THE CHILEAN PEOPLE

happy chilean artisan women
People of Chile are genuine and hospitable, as they go with the motto ‘Buena onda’ meaning good vibes, they put forth a very welcoming attitude. They have certain rituals embedded within their local culture, where for example one of them is taking a moment during the day to relax, as they say: ‘stay and let your guard down’. Patagonians have a saying ‘Those who hurry waste their time’, thus the locals never rush in order to avoid the feeling of stress caused by rushing.
As the aforementioned, the Chilean culture is very relaxed, open and friendly which reflects as well on their attitude towards foreign visitors.
children playing on the beach in chile

DISCOVER OUR BLOGZINE

Hours of education
have been given back to the ABURY communities.

 

To pay fair salaries is a start, but not enough!
Every time you buy an ABURY product,
you are transforming its hours of production in hours of Education
to the Communities where the product was made.

Learn more about the ABURY Foundation and our projects
for social development in the ABURY communities.

 

Join the movement and get 10% off your first order!

TOGETHER WE MAKE IT FASHIONABLE TO CARE

Search our store