Biography
Published in 2009
Cristina Bubba Zamora, born in Bolivia in 1953, has dedicated her life to conserving the sacred textiles of the Bolivian Andes, which have been stolen by unscrupulous foreign art dealers.
Her interest in the indigenous communities’ ties to the weavings stems from her social psychology studies in La Paz and the inspiration she received from the foremost expert on Andean civilization, John V. Murra.
In 1988, spurred on by news of a stolen weaving, Bubba Zamora set out on a successful quest to retrieve the textile. She received a Rolex Award in 1998 for her efforts to safeguard her country’s cultural patrimony.
Many weavings recovered in North America have been returned to Bolivia and are now housed in La Paz’s National Museum. Bubba Zamora, director of the Illa Foundation, created a photo exhibit of the textiles and is currently writing a book about the repatriation of ceremonial weavings, as well as lobbying foreign governments to persuade them to adopt tougher laws against trafficking in cultural property.
- Project Location
- Similar Projects
Kikuo Morimoto
Revive silk production in war-ravaged Cambodia
Chanda Shroff
Develop traditional hand embroidery to create sustainable income
- Other 1998 Laureates
- Contact Information
Ms Cristina Bubba Zamora
Illa Foundation
Fernando Guachalla Esquina Abdon Saavedra Piso 4
P.O. Box 14066
La Paz
BoliviaTel: + 591 2 412272
+ 591 2 2424341
cbubba@megalink.com
