El Cascabel

In the southeast of the department of Nariño, there is a municipality called El Tablón de Goméz between the small and narrow rivers of El Tiempo and La Chorrera. It is the home to the producers of El Cascabel, brand’s name which means bell or rattle in English. Tablón de Gómez, or El Tablón as the people in the region call it, is a very small community nestled in the Macizo Colombiano. A place with rugged and imposing mountains, with the volcano of Doña Juana nearby watching. Also, it is an area with a very strong indigenous influence and culture, having an important settlement to this day named Inga de Aponte.

In the 16th century when El Tablón was solely inhabited by indigenous tribes and there were many rattlesnakes in the region. The indigenous loved the harmonious music of rattles so they made and wore jewellery and accessories, that made similar sounds. In their rituals and spiritual events, they danced, and their accessories would sound out like rattles, which could be heard from all over. The community like the Cascabel name not only because of its history but they see it as a synonym of endurance and resilience given the context of where their farms are located.