Maká

The Maká originate in the Paraguayan Chaco and speak a language of the Mataco-Mataguayo family, considered threatened. A very large share of the population (close to three quarters according to the INE's 2022 Indigenous Census) lives in cities. Many families live in the Nueva Colonia Indígena Maká in Mariano Roque Alonso, a plot of about ten hectares now surrounded by the city, where they have lived since 1985.

They are recognised as skilled weavers of blankets, belts and bags with coloured threads, and that tradition already has its own entry in this database. They keep their identity alive through dances and songs. If you want to approach their crafts, do so at the Instituto Paraguayo de Artesanía fairs or at the artisan houses the communities themselves open, and do not enter a community without an invitation and prior arrangement. To learn more, the Museo Etnográfico Dr. Andrés Barbero (Asunción) and the Centro de Artes Visuales / Museo del Barro, which holds an Indigenous art collection, are two starting points; check opening hours before you go.