Julia Belén Alverio
2024 Heritage Award Winner
Julia Belén Alverio is a master lacemaker in the intricate art of Puerto Rican Mundillo bobbin lace. Using a Mundillo box, Belén makes lace by twisting and crossing thread with numerous bobbins. Originally hailing from Loiza, Puerto Rico, Belén grew up enamored by Puerto Rican textile traditions; her childhood nickname was “Retacitos”, or “Scraps” for how she collected fabric samples to practice with. She studied Mundillo in Moca, Puerto Rico, a town called “The Cradle of Mundillo”, and apprenticed with master artist Edna Pomales. When Belén and her husband moved to Orlando, Belén founded Las Damas Del Mundillo Orlando, a women’s Mundillo group. Belen has since converted her garage to a Mundillo studio where more than a dozen women craft together every week. In 2023, she was a master artist in the Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Program, teaching Mundillo to the newest member of the group, Annie Garcia, as well as exhibiting with Annie at the 2023 Florida Folk Festival. Mrs. Alverio is a technically gifted artist and the lynchpin of this tradition vibrant in Orlando’s Puerto Rican diaspora.
