The Boruca Gallery Gift Shop is located at Pacific Edge Eco Retreat in Dominicalito, just south of Playa Dominical. The gift shop has grown through its 25 years, having an extensive collection of intricate hand-carved and finely painted masks/wall hangings. The Borucans have become very detailed relief carvers. Relief carvings have a flat back and the image carved in three dimensions, obtaining unbelievable depths, all from one piece of wood using either balsa or cedar. There are three distinct styles, diablo, ecological, or a combination of the two. Each tells a specific story about Borucan culture representing the blending of the traditional and contemporary styles.

The Gallery also carries many styles of hand-woven products produced on the labor-intensive backstrap loom using only naturally dyed 100% cotton, such as placemats, runners, totes, and yoga mat carriers.

Our Gallery is one of the largest buyers and works closely with the bourucan village. Since 2015 we have bought and sold 1700 masks and nearly 1200 woven products at a fair-trade price. This means that not only do the Borucans get paid a reasonable price directly, but the buyer also does not get charged an enormous mark-up.

The Gallery wants to keep the money flow going into the Borucan village as 80% of their income is generated from their handcrafted products. Our stock is continuously changing; there are always new products available. At any one time, there are 25 - 40 unique masks ranging in price from $20 to $150.

The Gallery is now under new management, Adam and Kristi, who recently enjoyed visiting the Borucan village. "We were inspired by different approaches. One carver impressed us with his detailed cedar carvings – a single mask takes three days to carve! We observed the only female mask maker, working with others in a team, each member focusing on one specific part of the process. We hope this organic creative process, essentially unchanged for centuries, will keep growing."

Pictures: Daxi Tales Facebook