APEC Leaders' Official Photograph Wearing Traditional Chilean Chamantos

The official photograph of the 2004 APEC Leaders Meeting has been taken in Santiago, Chile.

As has been an APEC tradition since the Leaders' Meeting in Bogor, Indonesia, in 1994, Leaders have been presented with local cultural attire to wear in the official photograph.

For the official photograph of the APEC Chile Year, APEC Leaders were presented with traditional Chilean "Chamantos."

The Chamanto is an intricate garment in a poncho style. Taking several months to create, the Chamanto contains an important emotional component in the detail of the weave that that embodies a legacy that is part Chilean heritage.

The Chamantos worn by APEC Leaders have been made by eight weavers from Doñihue, a small town located in Central Chile.

The Chamanto is woven in silk thread and wool and is reversible with a light and a dark side. Traditionally, the dark side of the poncho is used during the day while its light side is mostly worn at night. Each Chamanto is unique in its shape, coloring and pattern with the intricacy of the design sketched by crossing the threads. The figures featured in the Chamantos include Chile?s national flower the copihues, barley and wheat ears, blackberries, bunches of grape, fuchsias, pansies and various birds representative of the national fauna.

Downloads of the Official Leaders' Photograph are available here.