About Beyan

"Beyan means Love in Boruca"

When I lost my job last year due to COVID, I returned to my home country, Costa Rica, to help my family clean up a property they had purchased for a restaurant. I was planning to open a traditional Costa Rican eatery that would feature indigenous dishes, so I traveled to the Boruca community in the southern Pacific region to learn from them. There, I was welcomed by Santos Lázaro, one of the master wood carvers of their traditional masks, and his sister, Juana Lázaro, who is skilled in cooking and weaving traditional textiles. They were more than happy to share their knowledge and traditions with me.

Santos explained that their community relies heavily on tourism and the sale of their handcrafted masks and textiles, and that COVID had severely impacted their livelihood. During our conversation, he shared his dream of teaching a group of single mothers how to make masks so they could earn an income for their families. Together, we set up a GoFundMe campaign—and we made it happen!

Now, we are helping their community thrive by selling their masks and textiles here in the U.S. These beautiful, handcrafted products are ready to ship, bringing good vibes and unique charm to your home.