Las arpilleras - un movimiento político

In our Spanish IV textbook (Conexiones 4th ed. Pearson Prentice Hall) there is a mention in chapter 3 about the Chilean protest quilts (arpilleras) that became common during the era of Pinochet.  The chapter deals extensively with human rights issues and social justice, and the quilts are a good connection to the content and the culture.

For a project I had each student select a human rights issue and create a 10" x 10" quilt square so that together we would have a group project worthy of display in the halls of the school.

What do you think?  Impresionante ¿no? 

If you would like to read more about the quilts or see some for yourself, you can take a look at the following links.  Some of them are commercial sites, just so you are aware.  I'm not affiliated with them in any way and I will not vouch for the products or their workers' rights; I have included them here because I like the photos.

Video in YouTube

Arpilleras: Chilean History Written on Cloth

Chilean Women's Resistance Movement

Lucuma - A commercial site selling handmade cultural quilts

Peruvian Quilts for Sale

Hasta pronto,

--AnneK