Achiote (Seed used for red dyes)

Body painting has been used for millennia as part of the tradition and nation building of indigenous communities in Colombia, acquired thanks to ancestral technique of extraction and production of dyes.

Oneo of the most representative dyes is the Achiote or Bija, found around different cultures of the country from small trees and bushes. The red color from achiote is found as bixina, found in exterior layers of the seed.