New Mola Vision

Some time ago Kate noticed that the Kuna Indian mola-makers of the San Blas Islands of Panama gave up their craft when they reached middle age, passing the responsibility to younger women. "At first I thought it was a cultural construct," she wrote. Then she put on her reading glasses to inspect a mola. Both she and the artisans had a revelation: like her, these women just needed to see better.

Now she brings reading glasses with her on every trip. This year's batch came from the denizens of the Arlington List, an on-line community of more than 4000 in (or with an interest in) Arlington, MA. As you can see in the photo, the glasses get put to use right away.

Cultural preservation takes many interesting paths. In this case, the path leads to a pair of reading glasses.

-- Lisa Deeley Smith