"Handicrafts are born within us. They permit us to make them a reality."

Born in 1953, Eduardo is the head of the Asis Family. He worked with wood from a young age in his uncles' workshop, where he learned to carve and give a fine finish to their designs. He especially enjoyed developing furniture for homes and restaurants.

However he found it necessary to move to the city and went to work in a government office. There he met Carmen, whom he married two years later. Her brother worked in wood and tooled leather, and in his free time Asis joined his brother-in-law to design and craft furniture. Recalling the work he loved as a youth, Asis opened his own workshop and, today, Carmen and four of their five children work with him there.

As time went on, Asis trained some of his relatives and friends who helped him out as his workshop grew. Transmitting his art to others is a source of pride, as it enables them to find pleasure and profit as well.

Asis designs and develops chairs, sofas, chests, jewelry boxes and trays – in general decorative home furnishings. They combine Andean themes, from Inca icons to colonial and contemporary motifs, organized in attractive collections with Peruvian flair.

"Handicrafts are born within us," Asis says. "They permit us to make them a reality. Leather is a docile material; it has enabled me to get ahead in life and provide for my family."

Julio, nephew and carver, is pictured here.