Inti’s Mother – Necklace

I have been thinking about a bolivian-themed collection for a loooong time ever since I started VeruDesigns and realized that there was nothing in my jewelry that was representative of where I come from. The closest I came to something bolivian-inspired is my “Samponha Collection“, but you wouldn’t know it unless I tell you.

I’m embarrassed to say that my main problem was lack of inspiration. I couldn’t find anything within my culture that made feel excited just looking at it. But all that changed over the last year.   You see, sometimes we need to be away from what we love to really “see it” with fresh eyes.

The AGUAYO, is a rectangular carrying cloth used in traditional communities in the Andes region, one of which is Bolivia. Aymara and Quechua people use it to carry small children or all kinds of items in it on their backs. The aguayo typically features colorful stripes intercalated with rhombuses and other figures with symbolic values.   It’s been only over the last year while visiting home that I really “saw” the beauty and sophisticated architectural design of the aguayo sawed on the edges of children’s sleeves, collars and “chulos” (hats). I couldn’t BELIEVE that I had missed it all these years!! Anyone who loves color, will ADORE a good bolivian aguayo.

And voila…. this is how the BOLIVIAN GODDESS COLLECTION was born.
Today I’m thrilled to reveal the very first necklace of this collection, called “INTI’S MOTHER” and everything this collection represents (beauty, strength, persistence, fearlessness and LOVE, much love), with the help of a very special woman called Silvia Jimenez.  That name will probably not ring a bell unless you are also a Bolivian or a hard-core volleyball fan, in which case you might be familiar with her long resume of accomplishments as one of the  top athletes in Bolivia’s modern history. Silvia’s unique story served not only as further inspiration to complete this collection, but perfectly represents this very personal collection and gives voice to the spirit that lives not only in her, but in you and me.

I’ve known Silvia from a distance since I was 11 years old. At the time I had just started playing volleyball, and I remember hearing about a handful of “really good” players that were making an impact in the local volleyball scene in my hometown of Cochabamba, Bolivia. One of them was Silvia. She stood out, not just because she was in fact really good, but she was also very beautiful in a very effortless way. Effortless is a great word for Silvia.  She had a strong “aura” so to speak. You knew she wasn’t one to mess around with. She got things done. In and outside the court. You could sense her confidence and intensity from a distance.

What I didn’t know at the time however, is that up until only a few years before then, Silvia had spent most of her childhood in a wheelchair, in and out of hospitals going through endless surgeries with little or no hope to ever walk again.

After a devastating accident at the age of 4, Silvia almost lost one of her legs. It was a miracle that she didn’t. And having no choice, the next 10 years would prove to challenge her body and her spirit in ways we would not wish to any adult, much less to a little girl. It’s said that these kinds of challenges “brake you” or “make you”.  Anyone that knows her, will tell you that the latter clearly applies to her.
Unlike most of us who think of childhood “dramas” as having a quick cry after a silly fight with our friends, or having been reprimanded by mom or dad, Silvia’s life became a daily routine of painful rehabilitation exercises.  From trying to learn to walk again, to eventually swimming for hours trying to regain her muscle strength. Her hunger for anything that would make her body stronger was insatiable. Very slowly but surely, she began to walk, then run and then jump. And as she felt herself moving freely in her body for the first time, she couldn’t get enough of any sporting activity that would give her the feeling of knowing her body’s power again. Before she could even realize it, her hunger turned her into a natural athlete in a few short years.

But when she found volleyball, suddenly all the struggles of the past made complete sense in the tapestry of her life. She became the woman that the girl inside had created through all those years of facing challenges. She found herself.  It was not only that volleyball made her feel alive more than ever before, but everything she already WAS became instantly her biggest strengths as a player.  Thriving under competitive pressure (something she was very comfortable and familiar with) came natural, NEVER giving up no matter how unlikely it may seem to win a game was a no brainer. But she also found FAMILY.  As tough and as much of a fighter as she is, she’ll give anything and everything for those she loves. And volleyball being a team-sport, became a means of expanding her love by the hundreds.

Professional Volleyball and later beach-volleyball allowed her not only traveling around the world, but over the many years since she discovered the sport, she has become a repeat championship winner in countless national and international competition events representing Cochabamba and Bolivia with enormous love and pride.  Her personal highlights include the South American Championship based in Bolivia in ’94, the World Championship based in Brasil of ’94, and the World Championship based in Mexico of 2012.

She still plays professionally to this day, and very recently played along her daughter (which was a dream come true for her)…and yes, she is a mother of two amazing kids who are already following their own dreams. As most successful athletes in Bolivia somehow she manages to have a fulltime career as an Architect along her husband who is also an Architect and a former volleyball player (a “match” in heaven, indeed).

Today, Silvia, her husband and two children live in a (stunning!) home designed by Silvia in our beautiful city of Cochabamba.  In fact all these pictures were taken in her backyard.
If you had any doubt that Silvia embodies perfectly the characteristic of my “BOLIVIAN GODDESS” necklace collection,   I’m sure you’ll agree with me that I did pretty good 🙂

Silvia is wearing a very special piece that I called the “INTI’S MOTHER” necklace.  INTI is the ancient Incan Sun God. He is revered as the national patron of the Inca state.  However he is also known as someone’s son. Pachamama‘s son. The Goddess still revered by the indigenous people of the Andes and also  known as the earth/time mother and Goddess of the Universe.   She is the female representation of power, love, earth, creation and motherhood whose energy is re-born through every baby girl, with the purpose of balancing our planet and re-creating it to her loving image.  Legend says that only those girls and women that recognize their power are able to channel the power of Pachamama’s love.

When I think of Inti’s Mother, Pachamama, I think of YOU and me. She IS you and me. The question is, have we recognized our power? Have we awakened to our infinite love? Are we acting and living our lives from that power?

May this necklace be a gentle reminder of this infinite power inside us all.

The next time your temporary circumstances (because everything is temporary, even our lives in these bodies), make you question your worth, your inner AND OUTER beauty, your intelligence, your strength, your capacity to learn and adapt, remember: You. Are. A. Goddess.  

PERIOD.

You are. Now we just need to let it be.

Make sure to stay tuned for our newsletter TWO WEEKS from today!  I’ll reveal the remaining necklaces of this one-of-a-kind collection with the help of ANOTHER BOLIVIAN GODDESS.… can’t wait!   What do you think? I’d love to read your comments below . Do you have any style icons that inspire you?

If you loved today’s reveal, please SHARE THE LOVE! Feel free to use any of your favorite social media buttons below to share this with your friends and loved ones.