The art of gourd carving has been practiced in Peru for more than 4,000 years, with artisans using gourds mainly to tell stories and express their every day life. The Huancayo region in the Andes is known for this artwork. After a gourd is skinned, cleaned and dried, the artist start the carving process. Some artisans use a burning technique to incorporate varying shades from brown to black. Another technique is called “fondo negro” to create black backgrounds on the carved gourds using fat and straw ash.