Working from a village in Pinotepa de Don Luis, Oaxaca, you will find Antonio Guzman Hernandez, a passionate jicara grabado craftsman whose traditional works of art coalesce his imagination with ancient cultural wisdom. For generations, the people of his village have utilized the wood and fruit harvested from the numerous trees that encompass their landscape to produce various household objects like drinking cups, toys and bowls. Customarily, each finished piece serves a practical household purpose.
Using skills he inherited from his village’s long-established traditions, he makes his living spending laborious hours producing these beautiful one-of-a-kind carved gourds called jicaras. Antonio first dries and cuts the gourds before polishing them with a fine sandpaper. He then uses homemade metal tipped tools to delicately carve the bold symbolic figures and indigenous designs onto each jicara’s smooth, round surface.
As you admire their intricate hand carved surfaces, you’ll notice that each jicara is unique and has a different story to share.