Aguayos: Exploring the Beauty of Migratory Flows within Latin America and the Caribbean by Northeastern University - College of Arts, Media, and Design

An aguayo is a centuries-old form of storytelling through textile created by the Aymara people in the highlands of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. The weavings encode their community's history into patterns chosen from hundreds of traditional designs. Today, these textiles remain both practical (carrying babies, transporting goods) and deeply symbolic, worn as an emblem of Andean culture.

Migrants, for their part, carry with them stories about their culture, their traditions, why they decided to set out, and what they've experienced along the way. That is why migratory flows have shaped the cultural fabric of the world, and Latin America and the Caribbean have been no exception, blending traditions across borders.

Each of the following aguayos turns people into threads, countries into fabrics, and migration into a creative source that builds diverse, thriving communities.

This project highlights the positive impact of migration, emphasizing how it strengthens the interconnection of cultures and enriches communities. By visualizing migration as a force that brings beauty and diversity, the scrollytelling experience reimagines the movement of people as a catalyst for cultural blending and mutual growth.

How diverse, beautiful and large is your country's aguayo?

* The information used for this project comes from the United Nations International Migrant Stock 2020.