2 September 2009
By Jonathan Jackson
The indigenous community of Monimbó, in the southern part of Masaya has a long history of tradition. They are a people known for their commitment to artistry, and craft workshops can be found in almost every house. They are also a people known for their fortitude, and the independent spirit of Monimbó has persevered through the Spanish conquest, William Walker and his attempts to take over Nicaragua in the 1800’s, and most recently in 1978, when it was the site of one of the first public uprisings against the Somoza regime.
Through it all, Monimbó has maintained its rich artisan history and techniques handed down through generations. It is known for all types of handcrafts including hammocks, furniture, ceramics and of course, leatherwork. If you ask around Masaya where the best leatherwork is done, you will more than likely be referred to Talabartería Gertulio Alemán Sosa (GAS) in Monimbó. GAS boasts a team made up of experienced craftsmen working together with a group of younger leatherworkers, all who are fully dedicated to the quality, detail and skill that has been a part of the artisan culture here for many, many years. It is that younger generation that helped perfect the chemistry needed to develop a line of leather products never before made in Nicaragua.
Ricardo González lived abroad in Venezuela, where he studied design, and the United States before returning to his city of birth, Managua, to start the design company MGA-LAB. For the past year he has been working with GAS to perfect the final versions for a line of laptop bags. González sees the bags as a bridge between artisan crafts and technology, as the leather workers use their traditional techniques to make the decidedly untraditional items. It is also a way for people from Monimbó with a specific skill set to expand their range of products from the usual leather goods, such as saddles, belts, boots and hats that have been produced and sold in places like the Masaya tourist market for years.
González’s vision for the line is to build relationships both geographical and cultural between different communities by launching a website to sell the bags all over the world. Unlike standard mass produced items lacking in character, the MGA-LAB bags are full of personality, in their modern, functional design and their traditional attention to detail and construction. González wants everyone who uses one of the bags to know the story and the city behind it, so that they can appreciate the work and skill that go into each unique bag.
As a tribute to the wonderful and skilled craftsmen who day after day put their heart and sweat into the realization of the final product and as a way to show appreciation to the continuing tradition of their skilled hands, González decided that the only name good enough for the line is the place of it’s birth: MONIMBÓ.
