The jewelry that Hilda and Sonia Cachi have been making for decades reflects centuries of history and tradition in their native Peru.

The sisters — they are two of seven sisters, in fact, all of whom are silversmiths — say they draw inspiration from their Indigenous and Spanish heritage while also embracing more contemporary designs. And that range was on display at the International Folk Art Market, held in Santa Fe in July: from playful bug-eyed frogs to ornate Sacred Heart images, the Catholic representation of Jesus’s heart shining with divine light.

Hilda Cachi — at 68, the eldest of the seven — said her work often incorporates Inca iconography, such as sun and moon deities or the hummingbird, considered a spiritual messenger. “All the pieces we make have a meaning,” she said. A single brooch might include several symbols, such as a tableau of flowers and animals and human figures, with little charms dangling below.

She also had shawl pins called tupus — a jewelry item that Peru’s Indigenous peoples were making long before the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. Hilda said she had made tupus that were 35 centimeters (almost 14 inches), but the ones she brought to Santa Fe were smaller because many Americans were put off by the long, sharp pins.

A Range in Silver

The Cachi sisters grew up in Cuzco, once the capital of the Incan empire. Hilda and three others still live there, as does their 90-year-old father, Gregorio Cachi, a celebrated master silversmith. The other three live in Lima.