Dictador’s TOTEM Project is a Journey into the Art World

Photo byDictador

Nestled in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Occidental, the Wixáritari (Huichol Indians) thrived on age-old traditions rooted in spiritual connection to nature. Across generations, their profound bond with Peyote (Hikuri), a sacred plant, and the special art they create with it has guided them toward the divine. Art is sacred among the Wixáritari. It is a conduit for translating universal energies into tangible forms. They fiercely safeguard their technique as it is a timeless link to their heritage, rituals, and roots in a world of change.

For thousands of years the artists from the Nariño region of southern Colombia have been ornamenting objects using a handicraft technique known as Barniz de Pasto. Its key ingredient is resin derived from the seeds of the mopa-mopa bush, which grows in the Andean forests and in the Putumayo ‘selva’.

A visionary idea ignites: transforming a limited number of Dictador bottles by working with the Wixáritari artists and the sacred Peyote plant to create a very special and highly coveted collector’s item.

Photo byDictador

This innovative idea is part of Dictador’s TOTEM project, which partners with ethnic groups worldwide to combine exceptional spirit with extraordinary art, heritage, and culture. These partnerships yield profoundly unique products that bridge innovation and tradition. A transformative journey begins as the Wixáritari gather to work with Dictador’s bottles.

Each member embarks on a pilgrimage, uniting with the plant that holds their history and wisdom. They infuse the Peyote’s sacred link between the spiritual and earthly realms. Under the sun’s fading glow, artisans meticulously adorn Dictador bottles with delicate glass beads.

Patterns mirror sacred geometries found in their ceremonies, shimmering like stars against dark glass—a reflection of interconnectedness.

Photo byDictador

Artisans invest intentions, prayers, and respect with each placed bead, elevating their creations to vessels for ancestral spirits, land, and collective soul. The final collection is called PEYOTE. It is part of Dictador’s journey into the art world and special collaborations with artists of all kinds.

Photo byDictador

Through Peyote, Dictador invites curious minds into an odyssey of taste, art, and heritage. We celebrate the Huichol spirit—a blend of travel, art, and culture that ignites wonder.

• Only 702 bottles have been created.
• They encompass 20 unique designs and different local colors, meaning no two bottles are identical.
• Each is a labor-intensive, hand-crafted, individual work of art that cannot be replicated anywhere else.
• Encased within these exquisite bottles is a rare treasure: rum distilled between 1993 and 2001, aged to perfection in two distinct realms of refinement – American Oak and Sherry.

Indeed, each sip is a journey through culture and time. It is no wonder that Peyote is for adventurers, collectors, and artists.

About Dictador: Dictador is the ultimate Art-House Spirit brand with a dynamic and rebellious mindset. For more than 100 years, Dictador has been creating investment-grade, aged rum in the heart of Cartagena, Colombia. Built on our heritage, we have an appreciation of the past but we are driven to positively impact the future.

We have a highly innovative, new line of product initiatives under our ‘Art Distilled’ platform where we collaborate with artists like The M-City Gold Cities bottle program to produce the first $1bn collection of leading fine art pieces.

We are boldly driving the frontiers of technology with our first AI-empowered robot CEO, Mika, who is responsible for data insight, strategic provocation, and DAO community liaison. We are rebels who master the metaverse in luxury through our NFT program, Decentralised Autonomous Organization, and future stock market tokenization initiative.

Our social responsibility pursuit is to support, nurture, and protect art and its place in the natural world through initiatives like the Totem tribal art series or the world’s first graffiti ‘Art Masters’ installation in the Colombian jungle.

For more information, visit: http:// www.dictador.com / http://@the_dictador

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Douglas Pilarski is an award-winning writer & journalist based on the West Coast. He writes about luxury goods, exotic cars, horology, tech, food, lifestyle, equestrian and rodeo, and millionaire travel. He is a regular contributor to Newsbreak.com and Medium.com. You’re welcome to share your thoughts or tell me your story. My email is dp1@sawyertms.com.