Agave

Agave is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some Agave species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. Agave now includes species formerly placed in a number of other genera, such as Manfreda, Mangave, Polianthes and Prochnyanthes.

Many plants in this genus may be considered perennial, because they require several to many years to mature and flower. However, most Agave species are more accurately described as monocarpic rosettes or multiannuals, since each individual rosette flowers only once and then dies; a small number of Agave species are polycarpic. Maguey flowers are eaten in many indigenous culinary traditions of Mesoamerica.

Along with plants from the closely related genera Yucca, Hesperoyucca, and Hesperaloe, various Agave species are popular ornamental plants in hot, dry climates, as they require very little supplemental water to survive. Most Agave species grow very slowly. Some Agave species are known by the common name "century plant".

 

 

Agave “Fique” in Colombia

The two main species of Agave cultivated in Colombia are Furcraea cabuya y Furcrae macrophylla and are commonly named as Fique.

In Colombia Agave is cultivated in the Andean zone, mainly in Antioquia, Boyacá, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Nariño and Santander, and currently in Colombia, fique is considered the second most important fiber after cotton.

These plants form a large rosette of thick, fleshy leaves, usually terminating in a sharp needle at the apex and often also with spiny margins. The stout woody stem is usually very short, so that the leaves appear to emerge from the root, as they have an unbranched stem up to 1.5 m tall. Leaves numerous, more than 100, arranged in a rosette towards the base of the plant, long and narrow, up to 2 m long and 20 cm wide, fleshy, erect, ribbed, green or blue-green, with or without prickles on the margins and at the tips.

 

Cultivation, Extraction and Preparation of Fique

 CULTIVATION: The peasants in the sisal crops cut from the plants the stalks that have already reached a certain degree of inclination and an adequate size.

SHREDDING: Near the cultivation area, the stalks are taken and stacked so that they can be shredded with the help of a machine. Each stalk is taken and passed through this machine until free fiber is obtained from the greatest amount of sap.

WASHING AND DRYING: The fique is washed in water wells (from 12 to 15 hours) seeking to remove the sap remnants and then piled up to continue with the drying process which is done in the sun on ropes or on stones. If you want a very white fiber, it is exposed for a longer time, since it is considered that the cold of the night favors bleaching.

Preparation of the Fiber for Craftsmanship

The fiber preparation process is long and tedious. This artisanal activity is carried out by women, who frequently suspend the process to attend domestic or field obligations, despite the fact that there is also a significant percentage of men who work with this fiber.

COMB: This is the first process that is carried out in the producers' facilities. It consist of passing the fiber through a surface with long and sharp ends acting as a hairstyle. This with the aim of untangling the fiber and giving it softness with the application of vegetable fats.

DYEING: The dyeing is done in pots. A mixture of non-polluting dyes, water, salt and fixatives is made, which are brought to a boil with the help of stoves. Then the fiber is deposited and boiled for 5 hours, waiting for the ink to adhere well. After this process, a new wash is performed. The fiber is dried in the sun and again goes through a process of pickling.

SPINNING: To make the fabrics, a spinning process must first be carried out, which consists of joining the fibers with the help of a machine and the fingertips in such a way that the thread is formed. The thread is then wound or wound to form cones with different sizes according to the need (from 100g to 1500g). In this spinning process, the fique is nuanced and colors of the threads are combined. As a result of this process, the thread will be ready to be worked on the looms.

WEAVING: Finally, the fique thread is used in different craft techniques such as braiding, crochet, the two needles and the pedal loom to make rugs, espadrilles, sacks, baskets, bags, etc.