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Percy and Ruth

"Hi, I'm Percy Antonio Huaman Candia and I was born in Cuzco, in the province of Calca, on January 16, 1972. I'm going to tell you my story.

"My father is from Pisac, a town of artisans, but one day he headed for the Cuzco Valley, some eight hours away. There he met my mother. They married, and two boys were the result of their love – my younger brother and I.

We were a humble family and there was no way to support ourselves at home. When I was only seven, my mother decided to send me to Lima to open a better road in life and see if I could do something for myself. I remember I went to live with an uncle, my mother's brother. For economic and other reasons, I wasn't able to finish junior high but I have fond memories of my youth.

"I already had art in my blood. I'd take radios apart and put them back together, and I made rifles out of wood. Popsicle sticks became boats and I gave them an antique look. I also crafted my own kites. Other children had more modern possibilities. Their kites had Spider Man and other trendy motifs. But my toys were rustic and I decorated them with our ceremonial tumi knife and other Peruvian themes. I really liked them a lot, even more than the modern ones. I felt like my designs were truly Peruvian.

"While living with my aunt and uncle, I helped them all I could. My uncle said I should learn to do something. I made candy pops to sell and I also picked lemons to sell so I could bring some money home to them. In this way, I struggled through life doing one thing or another, but I always helped them.

"At the age of 17, my aunt took me to the workshop of a friend who made shoes. I'll never forget my first day working there. They gave me some patterns to cut out. No one taught me – I learned by myself and I did the best I could. I'd grasp the scissors in my hands and they hurt so much by the end of the day that I almost quit my job. Then someone came over and said, 'Look, you do it like this.' So I decided to stay. From working as a cutter, I was promoted to putting the shoes together. I learned the entire process and I gave each piece the best finishing possible. I worked there for ten years and, when I felt sure of my skills, I started looking for a better job. I went from workshop to workshop, until I came across a good factory. This was exciting, as work was hard to come by. I didn't have to think twice. I went to work there with all the benefits the law provided for and this was a great help in my life.

"Our destinies are already decided. One day, without planning to, I met a woman in the factory who would become my wife and the mother of our two sons. Her name is Ruth Rodríguez Huamani and she was born in Lima on May 22, 1979. She helped me a lot and, together, we went through some very difficult times. When she got pregnant, she had to quit working and I supported our family. Things in the factory got complicated. I needed more income because of my family situation – I was their sole provider. I decided to leave the factory and seek something better. But work was hard to find in Lima.

"My sister in law said I should by a motorcycle and sell homemade ice cream with her, and so I did. We asked for a loan and, together, we began to offer ice cream in the street. We did better and better until, one day, the cycle broke down. Once again I found myself with nothing. I had to ask for another loan to get it fixed. No one here could repair the bike, so I decided to take it to Cuzco where my family was. I thought I'd sell it there and use that money to do something else.

"The mechanic said it couldn't be repaired. I had to sell it as junk. 'Now what will I do?' I asked myself. My mother gave me 1,000 soles so I could pay off the loans I'd taken out. And I had to start from zero once more.

"My brother was already working in the world of handicrafts. One day I saw that he was making beautiful things. He taught me to do this and that and I really enjoyed it. My manual skills were a plus and, like in other jobs that demanded quality, I was able to create very good work from the beginning. I was really excited to discover a new self in Cuzco and I realized I could succeed as a craftsperson.

"Ruth was worried. She had been alone with the children in Lima for six months and things were tough. Finally, I was able to join her and, by then, I had new ideas I was eager to try. I told Ruth all about them. She is also good with her hands; in the factory, her job was to paint the shoes, which were exported to other countries. So she was able to join me in my plans. At the time, we didn't have any money. A friend of ours needed a bricklayer to work on an addition to his house. I knew how to do this, so I asked him to give me the job and he did. With the money he paid me, I didn't know if I should use it to buy food for the kids food or invest it in my project. But I knew that we all needed a source of income, so I bought materials and a good, used machine. My wife and I began to craft journals and datebooks of tooled leather. I cut them out, Ruth applied the motifs and gave them an antique finish, and I put them together. With the materials we had, we were able to make only one of each size.

"When they were finished, we put them in a bag and went to a market together. At the first shop we visited, the owner asked if these were all we had. He ordered more and we ran out, so excited that tears filled our eyes. God heard our prayers and helped us get ahead through our sacrifice and work. We put so much effort into our work! Little by little, we'd sell our designs. Part of the money went toward food and, with the rest, we'd buy materials for another piece. Eventually we were able to purchase tools that let us give our work a finer finish.

"Today we have a little workshop of our own where our boys help us. One of our sons is ten, and he likes to draw and paint. Sometimes he does it even better than Ruth and I do. We all have a job to do, from cutting out the piece, drawing and painting, and putting the pieces together. It's love that keeps our family together so we can get ahead in good times and bad, throughout life's ups and downs.

"Our motivation is our land and our family. We include ancestral Peruvian motifs in all of our designs; this inspires us. And so, through our art, we transmit this heritage we carry in our blood.

"Thank you, God. Thank you, family. Thank you, Novica for giving us this opportunity. Each piece we craft is truly Peruvian and carries all the love of a very close family."