Rosa Elena Egipciaco
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rosa Elena Egipciaco (May 15, 1920 – 2023),[citation needed] often referred to as the "Queen of Mundillo", was a master Mundillo lacemaker and teacher of the Puerto Rican folk art. In addition to being part of the long Mundillo tradition of her hometown of Moca, Puerto Rico, she belongs to the much larger, much longer tradition of Spanish and European bobbin lacemaking.[1]
Egipciaco was born into a family tradition of lace-making, as her mother and grandmother were noted makers of lace. She recalls starting to learn mundillo when she was four years old. After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, she continued to practice mundillo and co-founded the Cultural Center of Moca. Egipciaco moved to New York in 1986 and began to teach lace-making through a variety of programs ranging from workshops for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union to serving as a master in the New York State Council on the Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program.[2] Egipciaco died in 2023.[3]
