Pale Horse Galleries

Oaxaca, Mexico: Alebrijes and wood sculptures from the Zapotec artists in Arrazola.

2007-02-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

Do you like armadillos? We've got armadillos.

Armadillo Azul by Angel Santiago

This Blue Armadillo is about 15" long by 3" wide by 6" high. It was carved by Angel Santiago and painted by Josefina Morales, both Zapotec artists in Arrazola, Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca. Click on the name to find this in the Pale Horse Galleries online store. If you wish, copy and paste this into your browser:

http://palehorsemex.vstore.ca/product_info.php/cPath/2/products_id/120

Armadillo Rojo by Angel Santiago

This Red Armadillo is 11.5" long by 2.5" wide by 4.5" high.

Armadillo Rojo by Oscar Carillo and Josefina Morales

This red Armadillo is 20.5" long by 6" wide by 9" high.

You can buy these hand made examples of the finest Zapotecan Mexican art and crafts at the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Just click the link or copy and paste the following into your browser:

http://palehorsemex.vstore.ca/

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
Cross posted at Mark in Mexico

TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, armadillos

The Pale Horse

Arrazola, Oaxaca, Mexico: Javelín carved and painted by Zapotec artists Oscar Carrillo and Josefina Morales

2007-02-24T15:58:00.000-08:00

This example of Zapotec Mexican art shows the artists' imaginations applied to a real life animal. This fine Javelín, carved by Oscar Carrillo and painted by Josefina Morales, demonstrates the Zapotecans' attention to detail. Just look at the number of passes made with a hardened wooden tool to apply the skin tone to the animal. Probably somewhere around 3000 seperate strokes to apply all of the color on top of the base colors.

Javelín

The Javelín (hab eh LEAN) is about 16 inches long and about 9 inches high. These pieces of Zapotec Mexican art and crafts make excellent gifts as well as collectibles.

Oh yes, here is Josefina painting another of Oscar's creations.

Zapotec artist Josefina Morales painting an alebrije

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts

The Pale Horse

Oaxaca, Mexico: Another short sword, "Machete Costeño" from Angel Aguilar's collection of Toledo Steel knives, swords and cutlery.

2007-02-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

In the previous post, I displayed a short sword, called a "Machete Americano", which was developed by the Spaniards in the 16th century to both handle the heavy mangrove not found in the caribbean as well as to serve as a weapon, much like the naval cutlass. These fine, hand forged and hand tempered knives, swords and cutlery make cherished gifts and fine collectibles. Know one knows how much longer these processes, dating back to the 15th century, will survive.

Well, here we have another version, called the "Machete Costeño" or coastal machete. This short sword was developed prior to the Machete Americano for use along the coastal areas of Mexico, Central and South America. The plants growing along the coastal regions were much heavier than anything the Spanish had found in the Caribbean.

23.5" Machete Costeño

You can note the guard on the sword is much like that found on naval cutlasses, indicating that the Machete Costeño was used as a weapon. You can also note the distictive hump in the middle of the back of the blade. This hump of extra steel gave the Machete Costeño added weight for hacking through the dense, coastal underbrush. The 23.5" Machete Costeño with 18" blade comes with a hand tooled and sewn leather scabbard.

You can meet Angel Aguilar, master swordmaker form Ocotlan, Oaxaca, Mexico, and read all about his 16th century Toledo Steel techniques, by clicking here.

You can see and buy any of Angel Aguilar's hand forged and hand tempered knives, swords and cutlery at the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Just click on the link or copy and paste this address into your browser:

http://palehorsemex.vstore.ca/index.php/cPath/5?osCsid=fb0c59b59455753457d125fe2e62fccd

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts

The Pale Horse

Ocotlan, Oaxaca, Mexico: A short sword, "Machete Americano", hand forged and hand tempered by Angel Aguilar

2007-02-20T15:28:00.000-08:00

The "Machete Americano" short sword

The machetes used by the Spanish in New Spain (the Americas, according to the Spanish) were OK for the brushy or jungled interiors of the countries they explored/conquered. However, once the Spaniards reached the coasts of the Americas, they ran into mangrove.

Mangrove is more a tree than a bush or brush. And in the northern fringes of their empire, in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, the mangrove are the toughest of all. So the Spanish needed a machete with more beef. At the same time, they developed a machete that could be used as a weapon if need be.

The "Machete Americano" was the result. This short sword, because that's what it really is, rather than the classic machete, is 24" in overall length and has a blade length of 18". It more closely resembles the cutlass used by sailors and marines of the 16th century world and made famous by the buccaneers and pirates.

This would have been the tool used by Jean Lafitte and his crews as they cleared Barataria in the bayou outside New Orleans. Any other machete or knife would have been too light.

The Machete Americano is hand forged and hand tempered in the forge of Angel Aguilar, master swordmaker of Ocotlan. This blade would probably quite quickly hack and chop through just about anything short of a full sized, mature oak tree. It would make an astonishingly effective gift for the woodsman on your list, as well as be a collectible that would last several lifetimes.

You can purchase this classic 16th century tool, still in use today, from Angel Aguilar at the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Just click on the link, or copy and paste http://palehorsemex.vstore.ca/ into your browser.

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!

TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, Toledo steel, Angel Aguilar

The Pale Horse

Arrazola, Oaxaca, Mexico: More wood sculptures and alebrijes

2007-02-18T15:06:00.000-08:00

Here are two artists I have not yet introduced. They are the husband and wife team of Fidencio and Elva Ojeda from Arrazola, Xoxcotlan, Mexico.

Elva and Fidencio have been carving and painting copal wood figures and alebrijes for about 20 years. As is common among the Zapotecs, the men do the carving and the women do the painting.

Ciervo Dorado

This piece can be purchased from Fidencio and Elva through the Pale Horse Galleries online store. You can click on the link or copy and´paste this into your browser: http://palehorsemex.vstore.ca/

Fidencio Ojeda

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts

The Pale Horse

Ocotlan, Oaxaca, Mexico: Knives, swords and cutlery in Toledo steel

2007-02-18T14:32:00.000-08:00

From the forge of Angel Aguilar in Ocotlan comes a very exclusive pie and cake serving set. These pieces are hand forged, just as are his knives and swords, using the 16th century techniques that made Toledo, Spain famous for its steel.

These collector's items would also make fine gifts. They are a more domestically useful example of the Toledo steel sword and knife making art. Mexican Zapotec craftsmen were taught these skills by both the Sapnish conquistadors as well as Benedictine Friars who came from Toledo, Spain.

You can read all about Angel Aguilar, Zapotec master swordmaker here and here at Mark in Mexico. There is also a detailed explanation of the Toledo steel swordmaking process as well as photos of Angel working on swords and knives in his shop.

2 piece Pie and Cake Serving Set

You may purchase this set from Angel Aguilar through the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Click on the link or copy and paste this into your browser: http://palehorsemex.vstore.ca/

Angel's 16th century church in Ocotlan de Morelos, Oaxaca, Mexico

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, Ocotlan, Oaxaca, Mexico, swords, knives, cutlery, Angel Aguilar

The Pale Horse

Arrazola, Oaxaca, Mexico: Here's a couple of sculpted cats in copal wood

2007-02-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

Many people like cats. Here we've put two of them together to offer as a pair. A blue cat and a golden cat eyeing each other. Two fine examples of the craftsmanship and artistry of the Zapotec artists of Oaxaca. These two are from the father-daughter team of Felipe and Lucila Zarate. If you haven't already, you can see them and read all about them here and here.

These two cats, titled Dos Gatos Sentándose (two cats sitting), can be purchased from Felipe and Lucila at the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Just click on the link or copy and paste this link into your browser: http://palehorsemex.vstore.ca/product_info.php/cPath/2/products_id/132

If you would like to see other examples of wood sculptures and alebrijes from the Zapotec artists of Oaxaca, click on this link or copy and paste this into your browser: http://palehorsemex.vstore.ca/

These are being offered as a pair for a savings of $35.00 over the price for each if purchased seperately. Either cat can be purchased seperately from the Pale Horse Galleries store, the Blue Cat here and the Golden cat here.

These beautiful examples of Zapotec imagination and skill make great gifts and collectibles. They are sure to draw attention and admiring comments when spotted on display in your home.

Dos Gatos Sentándose

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, Zapotec wood carvers

The Pale Horse

Ocotlan, Oaxaca, Mexico: A 14.5 inch Bowie knife in hand forged and tempered Toledo Steel

2007-02-17T14:55:00.000-08:00

Looking for a gift for a woodsman/hunter/fisherman? Or do you want to add to your collection one of the very finest knives that money can buy? Angel Aguilar, master swordmaker in Ocotlan, Oaxaca, Mexico, has hand forged, hand tempered, hand ground, polished and sharpened this 14.5 inch Bowie knife. The knife's overall length is 14.5 inches and the blade length is 10 inches. The hilt is tropical ironwood, also hand carved and polished. The guard is solid bronze, also hand forged and polished, and the knife is balanced with additional bronze added to both the guard and the pommel.

You can see Angel's craftsmanship and buy this or any other of his fine knives and swords at the Pale Horse Galleries online store. The specific page in the store catalog featuring all the Toledo steel knives, swords and cutlery is here. Or you can copy and paste this link: http://palehorsemex.vstore.ca/index.php/cPath/5

Bowie Knife - 14.5" in Toledo Steel

If you have not already read all about Angel Aguilar and the 16th century Toledo Steel forging and tempering technology, you'll want to stop here at Mark in Mexico or here at the Pale Horse Galleries blog to read all about it. This blade making technique, responsible at one time for the finest knives and swords in the world, was introduced to the Zapotecs of Oaxaca by the Spanish conquistadors and the Benedictine Friars in the early 1500's, directly from Toledo, Spain.

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, knives, swords, cutlery, Toledo steel, Angel Aguilar, Ocotlan, Mexico

The Pale Horse

Arrazola, Oaxaca, Mexico: Alebrije wood carving - Antelope del Sol

2007-02-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

Here's another very nice piece from the father-daughter team of Zapotec artists, Felipe and Lucila Zarate. It's called "Antelope del Sol" or antelope of the sun, and would make not only a perfect gift but also a very fine, collectible piece of Mexican art.

Felipe has carved the antelope from native copal wood and daughter Lucila has painted it a rich peach and red color and added yellow and black horns.

A great example of Mexican Zapotec wood carving craftsmanship.

Antelope del Sol

You can buy this piece from Felipe and Lucila through our online store, Pale Horse Galleries. Just click on the link or copy and paste http://palehorsemex.vstore.ca/. See catalog number PHG00509 in the Wood Sculptures section of the catalog.

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, Alebrije

The Pale Horse

Ocotlan, Mexico: Toledo steel blades in knives, swords and cutlery

2007-02-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

We've talked a bit about this fellow Angel Aguilar before, like here and here. I thought I'd feature a few more of his pieces of art today that would be perfect for a gift for that woodsman, hunter or fisherman on your list. And these knives and swords make great collectibles as well, because when these last few Zapotec artisans are gone, the Toledo steel making techniques, brought to 16th century Mexico by the Spanish conquistadors and Benedictine Friars, will probably disappear as well.

As you may already know if you followed the links above, Angel Aguilar uses 16th century Toledo steel making techniques to make the very finest hunting knives and collector's swords that money can buy. He also makes special cutlery, like carving and serving sets, that will last a lifetime.

You may find these fine Toledo steel products at the Pale Horse Galleries online store.

Angel Aguilar at his forge in Ocotlan

Carving Set with hand tooled and sewn leather holder

Angel Aguilar's shop in Ocotlan

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
Cross posted at Mark in Mexico

TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, Angel Aguilar, Toledo steel, knives and swords

The Pale Horse

Arrazola, Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca: More from Lucila and Felipe Zarate

2007-02-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

In the previous post, I said that Felipe and Lucila were father and daughter. He does the carving and she does the finish painting. Lucila was the one I met first, and I had several talks with her as I photographed her art. I was under the impression that she and Felipe were a husband and wife team, which is common among the Zapotec artists and wood carvers.

Oopsey daisy! She is his daughter, as became obvious the first time I was able to visit and photograph their workshop and little gallery. They do a really good job with cats, if you're a cat lover. These pieces are for the collector, for gifts or, for you if you just like cats.

Click on the name under the photo or the SKU numbers which follow the photos to quickly find the cats in the Pale Horse Galleries online store.

Gato Azul Sentándose - Blue Cat Takes a Seat

Gato Azul Extendiéndose - Blue Cat Stretching

Gato Dorado Sentándose - Golden Cat Seated

The SKU nmbers are:
Gato Azul Sentándose - Blue Cat Takes a Seat -- PHG00507
Gato Azul Extendiéndose - Blue Cat Stretching -- PHG00508
Gato Dorado Sentándose - Golden Cat Seated -- PHG00510

Felipe Zarate -- not Lucila's husband

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
Cross posted at Mark in Mexico

TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, [tagname]

The Pale Horse

Oaxaca, Mexico: A pair of fine wood carvers and painters from Arrazola

2007-02-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a collectible or a gift for someone, Lucila and Felipe Zarate from Arrazola can fix you right up. Take a look at this piece.

Grande Ciervo Azul

A "ciervo" is a stag, hence "Great Blue Stag" in the king's English. The SKU number is PHG00506 and you can find it by clicking on Grande Ciervo Azul, above, or by clicking on the SKU number.

Lucila and Felipe Zarate

A father and daughter team of Zapotec artists and their Grande Ciervo Azul. Felipe has been carving copal wood for some 25 years and his daughter has been painting his creations for about 15 years. I'm not sure who painted them before she started but it seemed an impolite question to ask, so I didn't.

Remember that each piece in the Pale Horse Galleries store is identified by the artist(s) who created it. I do not buy from consortiums, dealers, "artisans unions", markets or boutiques. If I cannot visit the artists in their workshops, watch them work and photograph them at work, I will not buy a piece nor offer pieces in the store.

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, [tagname]

The Pale Horse

Oaxaca, Mexico: Nativity Scenes in copal, barro negro, barro rojo and natural

2007-02-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

I found a display of nativity scenes, er, on display in the museum on the Zocalo. This is the former government palace which is still being identified that way by foreign media who don't know any better and by lefty media who seek to impress their readers with various anarchist movements. This building was abandoned by the government over a year ago and was opened as a museum last spring. It was invaded by APPO and the striking teachers and the museum's exhibits were partially destroyed.

Now that the PFP has given the museum back to the government, it is trying to recover. It was a bit breezy inside because none of the dozens of broken windows have been replaced yet, but they had done a pretty good job of cleaning it up.

There is some really nice stuff on display there. The artisans from San Martin
Tilcajete (copal wood), San Bartolo Coyotepec (barro negro - black clay), Santa Maria Atzompa (barro rojo - red clay) and a from couple of villages where they work with barro natural (a mixture of black and red clays) had brought their nativity scenes to the museum for display.

They have also brought them for sale but there were no buyers. So I took photos of most of the pieces and will present them to you on behalf of the artisans. The photos are not the best as far as photos go for a formal catalog, but because these displays could not be tampered with (moved around), I had to take the photos on an "as is where is" basis.

I also realize that it's a bit late in the game for nativity scenes, but that's the way it's been going down here.

Here we go:

Angelina Delfina Vasquez of Santa Maria Atzompa

This is a single piece sculpted from barro rojo, painted with glaze and then kiln-cured. The piece is roughly 13"x12"x16" high.
Its weight is about 5 lbs.

$3040.00

Adrian Xuana Luis of San Martin Tilcajete

There are 12 pieces in this scene. The pieces are about 3.5" high. They are hand carved in copal wood and hand painted.

$659.00

Alberto Tonatiuh Estrada of Oaxaca City

There are 12 pieces total here including the Star of Bethlehem and the comet's tail which serve as a platform for the nativity scene.
The pieces are about 17" high.
They are hand carved in copal wood and hand painted.

$1327.00

I've got a lot more but I'll have to add them later. I cannot go before you see this one, however.

You want a Nativity Scene? I'll give you a Nativity Scene.

Francisco Jaime Lopez Garcia of Santa Maria Atzompa

There are 23 pieces in barro rojo. Most of them are about 30" tall. The detail is astounding, down to the hair in the beards of Joseph, the shepherds and the Three Magi.

I asked the young man on the left to stand in so that you could get a better idea of the scope of this Nativity Scene. The grass on the floor and the cross in the foreground are not included.

$13,500.00

This price includes about $500 in packaging and $2000 in freight costs from Francisco's door to yours. These costs are estimated and could be a bit higher. I shouldn't think more than a few hundred dollars, however.

Cross posted at Mark in Mexico

TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, Nativity Scenes

The Pale Horse

Oaxaca, Mexico: Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas)

2006-12-24T20:38:00.000-08:00

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
Cross posted at Mark in Mexico

TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, peace

The Pale Horse

Ocotlan de Morelos, Mexico: Steel worked as in 16th century Toledo, Spain

2006-12-22T00:24:00.000-08:00

Updated: I've edited the price on the big Bowie shown in the photos twice. I think I've got it right. I reduced the prices a lot . . . a whole lot. Also, I left out the final sharpening step. I should be stropped for that. Please scroll down.

This art of knife and sword making gets pretty complex, so I’m going to break it down into 3 posts. The first will introduce one of Mexico’s finest sword and knife makers and some of the basic rules to remember when buying a fine knife or sword.

One can purchase some of the finest knives and swords made anywhere in the world in Mexico. One can also purchase junk. You’ve got to know what you’re doing.

There are 3 different basic types of knives and swords being sold in the markets in Mexico.

The first and most common blade found in the Mexican markets is the chrome plated blade. These are everywhere. Beware. They are only good for a few years of hanging on your wall or sitting on your desk. They are useless for anything else. The steel is usually junk metal, sometimes only iron. The blades are cut and polished, then given a thin "flash" chrome job. To be fair, some of the knife makers do load on the nickel and chrome a bit heavier, but the knife is still no good for any practical use.

Also, if you know anything about electroplating, chrome plated steel begins to immediately destroy itself, bit by bit, as soon as it comes out of the last rinse tank. The layers of dissimilar metals (copper, nickel and chrome) pass a minute electrical charge between them, just like a battery does, which attacks the layers of metal and eventually will eat holes through each layer. There is no way to stop this electrolytic action.

The second type is the stainless steel knife or sword. These blades are very nice, but because of the cost of stainless steel, much of the cutting and forming of the blades, hilts, handles and pommels is done with machines. This helps to keep the cost down. Also, the stainless steel blades are softer and will not hold an edge like a hand tempered blade.

I have owned a very good Mexican stainless steel blade that was quite serviceable. I had to sharpen it before every use but I was satisfied with its performance - that is until I got my hands on a hand made and hand tempered blade. There is no comparison.

The third, and the very rarest, are the hand worked, hand tempered and hand sharpened and polished steel knives and swords. These are very hard to find. But when found and purchased, they are among the finest and most serviceable cutting blades that money can buy. And when made by an artist with almost 500 years of history behind him, the resultant blade is a keepsake as well as a valuable tool.

These hand formed and hand tempered blades require a minimum of maintenance. After buying one and using it for awhile, I realized that I spent far less time maintaining the hand tempered steel knife than I did in repeatedly sharpening the stainless steel blade.

Angel Aguilar

Angel Aguilar

Angel Aguilar is an artist. He works with steel. He makes cutlery, knives and swords. Angel uses the 16th century techniques made famous in Toledo, Spain. These knife and sword making techniques were brought to New Spain in the 1500’s by the Dominican Friars and taught to the Zapotecs. The indigenous Zapotecs then were put to work making knives, swords, tools and implements for the Spaniards.

Angel Aguilar was taught these old processes by his uncle, Ricardo Guzmán, who began learning the Toledo techniques at the age of 8 years from his father. Ricardo Guzmán lived to the age of 110 and Angel says he worked up until his last days. 100 years of sword and knife making from one man.

Angel began to learn the art from his uncle at the age of 10 and now, at the age of 49, has been doing it for 39 years. Angel’s uncle Ricardo was taught the techniques by his father who was taught by his father etc. We are talking about almost 500 years of knife and sword making in one family. And it will continue because Angel is teaching two of his nephews the art.

Angel Aguilar’s Techniques

Angel use 3 different techniques to temper his blades. In this post we’ll examine the technique from Toledo, Spain, which the Dominican Friars taught Angel’s ancestors in the mid 1500’s.

The Materials

Angel makes better blades than his forefathers or the Spanish ever dreamed of making because he starts out with better steel. He uses automotive and truck leaf spring steel. He makes his hilts and pommels out of bronze. Not brass, but bronze. Bronze as in Achilles versus Hector outside the walls of Troy. Bronze as in Alexander the Great hacking through the Gordian Knot. His best handles are made of ironwood. He applies no finish of any kind to the handles. He uses another, flame hardened, piece of ironwood to smooth and polish each handle.

He also offers handles in bone, bull horn, antler and ivory. For a working blade that a hunter, fisherman or woodsman would want, the ironwood handles are by far the best. He picked up a finished knife with its ironwood handle, pulled out a smaller knife and then proceed to scuff the just finished knife’s handle. He basically ruined its appearance right before my horrified eyes. He then picked up his flame hardened "polishing stick" and in a couple of minutes had polished out all of the scratches with which he had just marred the handle. Amazin’.

The Forming

Angel does not cut the leaf spring steel to shape. He only cuts it to approximate length. He does this with a hacksaw. It takes him about 1 1/2 hours of sawing to cut a piece of leaf spring to length. He then places the steel in his forge and heats it to about 4000ºF. He begins to hammer the blade into the shape he wants. He repeatedly heats and hammers until he has formed the blade that he wants. If you look at his knives and swords, especially the knives, it is hard to imagine how he hammers some of the finer detailed shapes. But he has about 30 different sized hammers and chisels that he uses.

The Tempering

Now comes the tempering. He reheats the blade very slowly to one of three colors which will determine its final temper. When the blade has taken on a golden (dorado) color, he quenches it in oil. This temper is used for knives up to about 30 cm in length, but no more. At this temper, the blade is very hard and will hold the best edge. It will be just flexible enough to withstand heavy use, such as gutting and skinning deer or filleting and de-scaling fish. I also use my big Bowie to split wood, but I’m an idiot.

For swords and machetes, as well as any blade longer than 30 cm, Angel continues to slowly heat the blade until it turns a violet color. After quenching this blade in oil, he has a blade with just a bit more flexibility than with the previous process. That’s because a longer blade must be a bit more flexible so as not to snap during use. This will be a tough blade that will hold an good edge but not as hard as the blades tempered through the “dorado” stage.

For rapiers, sabers and foils, Angel continues to slowly increase the temperature of the blade until it turns a bluish color. Then this blade is oil quenched. This is the most flexible of all the blades. He picked up a thin bladed saber, bent the blade 360º (a full circle) and then released the tip and it snapped back into shape.

The finishing

After the tempering process, Angel goes to work on the finish. He begins to grind out the hammer marks, repeatedly cooling the blade in water to avoid modifying the temper that he just spent a week in getting right. He uses an emery wheel on an electric grinder in place of the granite wheels and hand cranked grinders used by the 16th century Spaniards.

After he is satisfied with the rough finish and convinced that the temper is still good, he moves to the next step. He switches to a cotton wheel which he impregnates with carnauba wax. He sprinkles on a course volcanic pumice and polishes out all of the marks left by the emery wheel. He repeats this process through 5 different sizes, or grits, of volcanic pumice, each time polishing out the marks left by the preceding step.

He changes wheels yet again, replacing the cotton wheel with one made of cardboard. He makes these wheels himself and tells me he knows of no other knife and sword makers -- cuchilleros – who follow this step. He impregnates the cardboard wheel with carnauba wax which contains Teflon. Another modern convenience not available to the sword makers in 16th century Toledo, Spain. The wax acts as a carrier which deposits and then holds the Teflon in the microscopic pits on the surface of the steel. This helps to make the blade water resistant.

Note: The blade is not water proof. It is not stainless steel. Some care and maintenance is required but Angel has that worked out pretty well, too. He says that a cotton rag and Brasso will repair any damage to the blade caused by forgetting to oil it once a month. As for the oil, Angel says you can use anything from olive oil from your wife’s kitchen to used motor oil and anything in between.

Angel then forms the bronze hilt and pommel around the tang of the blade, again all by hand. He polishes the bronze in much the same fashion as the blade, although it goes much quicker now because bronze is considerably softer than the tempered steel. That’s how the Greeks lost the Mediterranean to the Romans. Roman steel against Greek bronze.

He uses this stage to help balance the knife. He’ll add or subtract as much heavy bronze as is necessary to balance the knife. Some of his knives have interesting eagles heads or other animal heads hand cut into the pommels. He did this because he had to add so much bronze to get the balance he wanted that he had to decorate the extra bronze. If I hadn’t told you that, you would think it was all planned in advance.

The balance of my 15.5" Bowie

Then he hand carves and polishes the handle. He does not use any adhesives to attach the handle to the tang. It is a force fit, whether the handle be of wood, bone, antler or ivory.

Note: I don’t know where he gets his ivory and I’m not going to ask. It is, however, ivory and not mother-of-pearl. I would not recommend trying to import an ivory handled knife or sword. There are some very strict laws governing the international ivory trade and if you cannot prove that the ivory on your knife or sword came from Inuit who hunted down walrus or from old piano keys or billiard balls, US Customs will confiscate said blade. Then they’ll come looking for me. Besides, ivory turns yellow with age, especially if exposed to sunlight.

Now he finish polishes the blade, again using the cardboard wheel with the carnauba wax and Teflon.

UPDATE I: Angel then strops the blade edge using a leather strop, just like a barber does, or at least used to do, before shaving someone. And the blade is finished.

Mark in Mexico's 15.5" Bowie knife
UPDATE II:
10" blade, overall length 15 1/2" - $350
9" blade, overall length 14 1/2" - $325
8" blade, overall length 13 1/2" - $300
1.5 to 2 weeks

Etching and Decorating

While I was there today, a Mexican Army general waltzed in with his four bodyguards. He bought an antler handled knife with a 10 7/8 inch blade. It was the first knife Angel had sold all week. I was looked upon with great favor later as having brought him good luck. The general then paid Angel $75 US extra to do some artwork on the blade. The Mexican Army general had more US currency in his pocket than did I. Hmmm.

Angel makes what I would call a “masking paint”. It’s a mixture of tar, gasoline, paint thinner and some other secret ingredients that he would not divulge. Probably a little kryptonite. He free hand draws on the blade with an old style ink pen. He can put just about anything on the blade that you would want. For the general he wrote the date, the general’s army group, the generals name and rank on one side of the blade. On the other he drew a miniature military fort and a soldier firing a rifle. Then he added some flowery curlicues that he thought the general would like.

Masking the General's design

While he did all this the general helped himself to a couple of cans of Modelo that Angel’s wife had raced to the store to buy. When the general was satisfied with the accuracy of the data and the other decorations painted on the knife, he left with his entourage, promising to return tomorrow to pick up his knife. Angel then painted the cutting edges and the back of the knife to protect them. Angel proceeded to hang the blade in a container of muriatic acid which will etch the surface of the blade, everywhere except the painted areas. When the blade is finished, it will have all of Angel’s design in relief.

I have seen this technique used by other knife and sword makers. What is much more common, however, is the use of high speed grinding tools, like the Dremel, to grind a design into the steel. Also used are pantographs or other duplicating type machines. If you’re going to want lettering done on your knife or sword, it would be best to opt for script or maybe something very Gothic. If you want near perfect Times New Roman font, Angel is not your man.

Also, grinding on a knife blade can mess up the temper. The muriatic acid that Angel uses is hydrochloric acid watered down to about 30%. Angel cuts it another half, to about 15%. With all cutting surfaces masked as well as the back of the blade, the acid etching process has no effect on the temper or the fine edge that has been left on the blade.

Tomorrow, when the background, or relief, around his design is etched into the steel, Angel will polish the masking paint away, again using the carnauba wax/Teflon combination with the cardboard polishing wheels.

And that is the Toledo, Spain process for hammering and tempering a knife or sword. Tomorrow, I’ll write another post explaining the Japanese technique for putting a crystallized edge on daito and shoto (long and short) Japanese swords. This technique was taught to Angel’s uncle Ricardo Guzmán by a Japanese sword maker who came to Mexico back in the 30’s. Angel does not know why the man was here or what became of him.

Hold onto your socks because this technique is extremely expensive. It takes Angel about 6 weeks to make a daito and he’ll throw away as many as half a dozen blades before he gets the one he wants.

There is yet another technique known as Damascus steel. I’ll try to write about it tomorrow, also. Here’s a hint. This process is so expensive and time consuming that it requires 2 months of work. It was so expensive even back in the days when the Arabs used slaves and the Spaniards used unpaid Zapotecs that only Arab royalty, the King of Spain and the Viceroy of New Spain could afford such a blade.

But that’s for tomorrow.

Thanks for the votes. I really appreciate it!

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
Cross posted at Mark in Mexico

TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, knives and swords

The Pale Horse

Puebla, Mexico: Some facts that you absolutely, positively have to know.

2006-12-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

Reader Ricardo Hernández from Puebla sends an Email with some facts that you absolutely, positively have to know. Please memorize these facts before you turn in tonight. There will be a quiz (of the pop type).

1. A cow can ascend stairsteps, but cannot descend them.

2. Walt Disney was afraid of mice.

3. Johann Sebastian Bach once walked 200 miles to arrive at an organ recital in Buxtehude.

4. Wrigley's chewing gum was the first product in the world to carry a label with a bar code.

5. Frogs have teeth.

6. The 3 industries that are, far and away, the worst contaminators of air are the steel, iron and cement industries.

7. In the Spanish card deck called a "baraja", roughly equivalent to our 52 card poker deck, only the King of Hearts has no moustache.

8. The majority of the Chinese cannot see the color purple.

9. A snail can sleep for as long as 3 years.

10. Mel Blanc was allergic to carrots.

Now, I don't like to be hyper-critical, but I do have just one small bone to pick with this list, Ricardo. The Spanish card deck, the baraja, has four suits. But they are "oros" (gold coins), "copas" (gold goblets), "bastos" (clubs) and "espadas" (swords -- or spades). There is no King of Hearts because there is no heart suit. However, the King of Copas is the only one of the four who is moustache free.

Thanks for the votes. I really appreciate it!

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
Cross posted at Pale Horse Galleries

TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, baraja, Rey de Copas

The Pale Horse

Oaxaca, Mexico: APPO gets the bill. "Your prompt payment is appreciated."

2006-12-21T06:59:00.000-08:00

The Oaxacan state government has prepared and served some 121 APPO members with judicial proceedings demanding 100 million pesos in reparations for damages to property during the recent "troubles". The demands were issued by judges in Etla, Tlacolula y Miahuatlán.

Read the rest at Mark in Mexico

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
Cross posted at Pale Horse Galleries

TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, APPO

The Pale Horse

Mexico City: Do you wonder where the children's education funds are going? They've been washed out to sea.

2006-12-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

If you can recall this post in which I state that the Mexican government spends 93.6% of all funding for basic and intermediate education on teachers' salaries and benefits, here is where some of that money is going.

The SNTE (national teachers union) leadership and their families, as well as past SNTE directors and their families, are all in Hawaii. And they got there on the cruise ship "Pride of Hawaii".

The "Pride of Hawaii"

The "Bistro" on board the "Pride of Hawaii"
While the exact number of SNTE brass, ex-brass and families on the cruise has not yet been published, you've got to figure that there are about a hundred of them, or so. At $3000 to $5000 each, that's $300,000 to $500,000 dollars, 3.3 to 5.5 million pesos. The SNTE spokesman claims that all of the money was "financed" and that the SNTE brass, ex-brass and their families have, "just like any human being, the right" to take an all expenses paid cruise to Hawaii.

Here is a group of Americans who are also taking a little respite from their daily cares. Only they are in Mexico building a school for the deaf in Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas. This group is from, I think, Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Just cruisin' along.

I wonder if these good folks could have used a little of that 300,000-500,000 dollars.

The "Bistro" at Rio Bravo school for the deaf.

They finally had their own school! The excited children emerged from the school bus and dashed to the new classrooms. Their eyes lit up and smiles spread across their faces as they darted in and out of the three rooms. They discovered walls decorated with posters and pictures. There were desks and blackboards, cabinets stocked with school supplies and cubicles with a new set of school supplies for each student. This building even had an indoor toilet and a teacher's lounge.

An indoor toilet and a teachers lounge? That was surely a waste of money better spent in Waikiki.

The SNTE issued a press release attacking Reforma for divulging the Hawaii cruise, accusing the newspaper of "a long and intense campaign against the teachers union, its leadership and their families" for which "there is no good reason whatsoever."

It just never stops down here, does it?

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
Cross posted at Mark in Mexico

TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, SNTE

The Pale Horse

Mexico City: Calderón to the narcotraficantes: "We make war, not love."

2006-12-19T21:23:00.000-08:00

After a just a couple of weeks of work, Mexican President Felipe Calderón has sent some pretty strong messages to rioters, kidnappers, arsonists and now to the drug traffickers. He launched a combined assault on the state of Michoacan, which was in danger of falling completely under the influence of the narcotraficantes (no pun intended).

At a news conference yesterday, his military men who are spearheading this offensive gave an update on their progress. In fact, they've been so busy that they didn't mention everything they've accomplished and I'm not sure I can keep track of it all, but I'll try. Here goes:

2160 marijuana plants destroyed
6.7 tons of marijuana seized and destroyed
300 pounds of marijuana seeds seized and destroyed
8.8 ponds of poppy seeds seized and destroyed
500 acres of marijuana fields destroyed
107 illegal weapons seized
19 vehicles confiscated
3yachtss confiscated
2.2 ponds of gold bullion confiscated
33 complete military and police uniforms seized
54 arrested
At least $1.8 million US in cash
At least 1.8 million pesos in, well, pesos

Now for some fine detail: The police and military uniforms included everything from bullet resistant vests down to military and police issued T-shirts.

The 4 kilos of poppy seeds alone represented about 9 acres of plantings which would have yielded 32 kilos of opium gum - 4 kilos of heroin - value 1,482,400 pesos ($136,000 US)

The sum total of all the plants, harvested crop, seeds and acreage destroyed is, so far, 6,749,826,400 pesos (620 million dollars).

The arrested so far include:

Alfonso Barajas Figueroa, "Poncho el Feo" (Poncho the Ugly One), head of the "Zetas" in Michoacan. The Zetas are ex-military, many trained in the US, who have left the Mexican Army, most through desertion. The Zetas under The Ugly One also included 3 ex-members of the Guatemalan special forces, the Kaibil, trained in the US. The narcotraficantes pay better . . . a whole lot better.

Armando Valencia Cornelio, leader of theMillenniumm cartel.

Elías Valencia Valencia, son of Armando Valencia Cornelio.

Jesús Raúl Beltrán Uriarte, a lieutenant in the Sinaloa cartel, along with just about his whole family. His wife, his brother, his lawyer and 6 others were also arrested.

In addition to the actions in Michoacan, the feds seized 2 houses and a ranch in Jalisco (Guadalahara) along with 6 vehicles, 3 motorcycles, arms, ammunition and cash. In Guerrero the feds siezed 3 more properties and hauled in arms, ammo, military and police uniforms and 4 more vehicles.

I think I'll open a used car lot featuring late model pre-owned vehicles. I'll advertise "Had your vehicle confiscated lately? Never fear, Mark in Mexico is here. Next time, don't risk a new car. Let the government confiscate the crap I sell."

This is just a thought, and if any of you have an idea as to the whys and wherefores, please let me know. While operations of this type take months, if not years, of planning, why didn't Fox's administration make any of these moves? Just askin'.

Cross posted at Mark in Mexico

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, narcotraficantes

The Pale Horse

Oaxaca, Mexico: Thanks from some Zapotec artists and Mark in Mexico

2006-12-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

I'd like to thank some people here without divulging too much info. Thanks to gcblues, who sent out Emails to about, oh, 5000 of his closest friends.

Thanks to Scott who is sleepless in Seattle and placed an order. Fidencio and Marisol will also be appreciative to hear about this.

And you should all stop by this gallery's website unless you live in the Atlanta area, in which case you should stop by the gallery.

Thanks for the votes. I really appreciate it!

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
Cross posted at Mark in Mexico.

TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts, [tagname]

The Pale Horse

Oaxaca, Mexico: We need some help down here.

2006-12-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

This is a long and detailed post, so get a cup of coffee or pop a beer before you start. This was cross posted at Mark in Mexico.

Barro negro market at San Bartolo Coyotepec
Please take a close look at the photo above. It is the Barro Negro (black clay ceramics) market at San Bartolo Coyotepec. There are about 100 stalls or booths in this market. This photo was taken at midday on a holiday. The joint should have been jumpin’. As you can see, it’s closed up tight. I found one, and only one, ceramics store open.

Only one.

The situation is just about the same all over. The artists, carvers, knife and sword makers, potters, tin artists, leather crafts makers and weavers are in terrible shape. They have begun to scatter to the four winds making them difficult to find. In an effort to sell something, many of the artists have packed up their arts and crafts, loaded them on a bus, and headed out to other states throughout Mexico chasing the tourists and gift, arts and crafts buyers who no longer come to Oaxaca.

I talked to a potter, Eloy Gómez León, in San Bartolo who told me he didn’t expect to again start seeing tourists and selling his Barro Negro until the next Guelaguetza Festival which is next July. I asked him how he expected to survive for 8½ more months and he just shrugged his shoulders. His little store is in the government market on the main highway. That’s the area where the museum, park and hotel are located, if you’ve ever been here. The museum was closed and the hotel appeared to empty. Roughly one in five of the Barro Negro stores were open in that market but I was the only visitor there.

So, what can we do?
Well, we don’t need "donations". That’s not what these people want and it’s not what they need. They need to sell their arts and crafts, gifts and collectibles. The donation business is being pretty well tapped by APPO. They’ve hit Catholic churches in Southern California, the northeast and Canada. They have received cash support from colleges and universities as well as unions, especially teachers’ unions. And they have raked in some money.

That money came in the form of cash donations. That money was used to pay transportation costs, hotel and meal expenses for their representatives who were collecting the money. Those donations were used to pay transportation and meal costs to move people from other states into Oaxaca to march, riot and burn, except where that transportation was provided free of charge.

Those donations were used to buy ski masks, rockets and bombs, slingshots, pay a 200 peso per day stipend to outsiders manning barricades all over the state, and to buy weapons and ammunition for the various guerrilla groups associated with APPO.

The artists with whom I cooperate have no such necessities. Their wants and wishes are far more banal. They need food, rent, clothing, raw materials for their arts and crafts, school supplies, uniforms and shoes for their kids and transportation to the markets where they would hope to find some paying customers.

They are not looking for charity. They must sell their arts and crafts to buyers of gifts and collectibles.

Mark in Mexico does not accept donations, either. That’s why you don’t see the Pay Pal button anywhere on my blogs nor will you see the ubiquitous "Please Donate" message that you see in so many other blogs. I'm uncomfortable with all that.

What can you do?
Visit the Pale Horse Galleries website. Meet the artists and their families. See the photos of some of their work. I should be kicked, punched, bitten, eye-gouged and nose-twisted for neglecting that website. This, or any website, for that matter, needs something published in it every day. I haven’t published anything there for months. We start today.

Then visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store. The store is far from complete. Right now, the store includes alebrijes, wood carvings and some other hand made and hand painted items that should be of some interest. I have photos of some barro negro, the black clay ceramics, as well as photos of Mexico’s leading knife and sword maker at work which are not yet in the store. I’ll try to get all that done this weekend. I’ll also try to get to Ocotlan to get photos of the knife and sword maker’s work and get those into the store tomorrow night.

I’ve still got to get photos of the weavers, the ceramics makers, at least two other knife and sword makers (there are 3 different levels of knives and swords being made and 4 different levels being sold so you’ve got to watch your step), and many, many more ceramics makers. You get the idea. I need thousands more photos and then to set up the items in the store. A thousand hours of work that, in reality, will never be completed.

Let’s talk about the store and Mark in Mexico’s interest therein.
I had to race through the store (twice) last week to raise prices. I was losing money on every sale. There is now a fuel surcharge being added to shipping costs because the federal government raised the price of Pemex fuels 1 peso per liter – about $0.35 per gallon US. In addition, packaging costs for boxes, foam, blister pack etc. have shot up somewhere around 20%. I don’t know if this is due all or in part to the Christmas season or not. Nevertheless, it has happened.

Here is exactly how the store’s pricing is formulated. I take the purchase price of any item and then double it. That pays my expenses and, hopefully, leaves a bit left over. San Martín Telcajete is a 45 minute drive away, 1 ½ hour round trip, and $10 US in fuel and about the same in maintenance and insurance costs for the car.

Pale Horse Galleries also needs a lot of things. We’ll talk about that in a moment. Then, depending on the item, I add 30 to 50 percent for packaging and shipping. Some items may need more.

Pay Pal
Pay Pal is great for buyers but is a very unfriendly system for sellers. That’s because of Pay Pal’s disastrous launch. When Pay Pal first launched back in the 90’s, they took a bath. Every scam artist and fraudster from Moscow to Beijing and all points in between ripped off Pay Pal and/or its clients for millions of dollars. Pay Pal almost sunk like the Titanic. As a consequence, in addition to much polishing of its software codes, Pay Pal became just a bit harsh to deal with, from a seller's point of view.

There is still a scam going on using Pay Pal but Pay Pal has managed to protect buyers and extricate itself from responsibility to sellers (i.e.: Pale Horse Galleries). The scam is called "not as represented", among other names, most not printable. A "buyer" will order a product, pay for it through Pay Pal, wait for its delivery, then send a complaint to Pay Pal claiming that the item received was "not as represented" by the seller. When the complaint cannot be resolved between the two parties, Pay Pal will freeze the seller’s account until the dispute is resolved between both parties.

For an online business, this is a disaster. Any and all money in the seller’s account and all money entering the account are frozen. The dispute could be over a $100 item but tens of thousands of dollars could be frozen. Unless the seller has deep pockets and can afford to continue manufacturing and shipping during the dispute resolution phase, the seller is out of business. The dispute resolution phase can last up to 9 months.

So what does the seller ultimately have to do to get his money released from Pay Pal? You guessed it. Return the buyer’s money on the promise that the buyer will return the unwanted product. This, of course, never happens. So the buyer ends up with free merchandise at the expense of the seller. The only option for the seller is a criminal complaint against the buyer if the buyer can be identified and then found, a usually impossible task.

This scam got so big that a group of online sellers sued Pay Pal over it a few years ago. Pay Pal, having been burned for so many millions and having built a reputation with buyers for protecting them against unscrupulous sellers (at the expense of thousands of legitimate sellers), paid a 9.5 million dollar settlement to that group of victimized sellers rather than admit any responsibility or agree to changing any of its procedures.

Pay Pal scares me to death but, for a buyer, it’s the only game in town. And if online buyers consider it the only game in town, sellers are forced to go along.

All money transferred through Pay Pal costs me about 5%. Plus, I have discovered to my chagrin that the exchange rates used by Pay Pal and/or my bank (HSBC and Scotia Bank) here in Oaxaca are below the local exchange rate by about .35 pesos per dollar. That is, for every thousand dollars that eventually ends up in the Pale Horse Galleries bank account from Pay Pal, I lose about 350 pesos ($30+ US). The bank also charges me 20 pesos for every transfer.

So, Pale Horse Galleries takes the total price calculated in pesos, adds the 20 pesos, divides by 10.5 to calculate the US dollar value (thereby protecting itself from the lower-than-market exchange rate) and then divides this total by 0.95 to recover the Pay Pal costs.

I hope.

Pale Horse Galleries Pricing
Those of you who live here or visit here regularly may be surprised at the prices. Don’t be. If you live here, you aren’t going to buy from the online store in any event. You’ll make your way to the city markets and galleries or visit the artists in their towns and buy from them directly. Please do so, and often.

If you visit here, you know that it costs a minimum of $1000 to come here, much more if wife/significant other/kiddies come along. Then you’ve got to rent a vehicle or hire a tour driver to get you to the artists. Then you have to be able to differentiate the artists’ work from the cheap Chinese rip-offs. Then you’ve got to have your item(s) packaged and shipped home. If an item arrives damaged, you’re on your own with UPS, FedEx or whomever.

Pale Horse Galleries
Pale Horse Galleries needs a lot of investment to make it function as an attractive outlet for Zapotec and other indigenous art. We need a decent digital movie camera. We need a tripod and portable lighting for the existing still camera. We need a tough little 4WD pickup for traversing the less-than-smooth-as-glass highways and byways searching out the artists. My car is taking a beating.

Pale Horse Galleries does not buy from distributors or any type of middleman, including the Mexican government and "artisans unions". If I cannot meet and photograph the artists at work in their homes and workshops as well as buy directly from them, I won’t feature them in the store. They are all aware of this and are more than happy to accommodate. But I have to be able to get there and back in one piece, preferably not on foot.

The Pale Horse Galleries online store, as well as the website, needs a minimum of $5000 invested ASAP. We’ve got to buy the name and our own website rather than use a host like the good folks at Blogger. We’ll stay with Vstore because storefront software is expensive. We really should consider buying a storefront at Ebay, however. And finding an engineer or design firm to do this for us would be prohibitively expensive, at least at this time. We need to buy and place advertisements. We need to buy our way towards the front of the search engines.

We need to buy a premium account at Flickr. Right now we’re constrained to 200 photos and I long ago hit that limit. We need to buy the premium storefront (actually called a "shopping cart") from Vstore so that I can include more than one photo with many of the items offered. Some items deserve a front-side-rear view and right now I'm not allowed to do that.

Now for the really expensive part: Pale Horse Galleries needs a brick and mortar gallery here in Oaxaca. The area of the downtown where the gallery needs to be is expensive. 15ft x 20ft "locales" rent for 25,000 pesos per month. Pale Horse Galleries needs a much bigger area.

We have already talked to several artists who are willing to come to the gallery to work. That way, visitors can meet the artists in person and watch them create without having to venture into the mountains to do so. There is a perfectly located building for rent across the street from the Camino Real Hotel. But Pale Horse Galleries will not be in a position to rent, let alone refurbish (rebuild would be a better word) this building before a bank or airlines or other large and well-heeled business eventually rents it.

For the knife and sword makers, I’ll have to install and maintain a small forge, an anvil and grinding, polishing and burnishing wheels. That’s going to be expensive. For the ceramics makers, I’ll need a potter’s wheel and a kiln. For the weavers we’ll need an old hand loom. We’ll have to pay for the artists’ meals and travel expenses as well as hotel expenses if they have to stay overnight.

I know of no other gallery or market in the city, either private or government subsidized, that offers such a thing.

I’m guessing we’ll need somewhere between 1,100,000 and 1,300,000 pesos to get a gallery and the workshops installed and running and the rent paid for 6-8 months. Ouch! And all of this would be done on the somewhat risky proposition that the tourists would return by next July.

The reason for the somewhat long-winded explanations is so that no one leaves this post thinking that Mark in Mexico plans to use the backs of Zapotecs to finance his annual 3 month-long vacations to Greenland.

What else can you do?
Obviously, the easiest and quickest thing is for everyone who reads this post to haul out the old Visa or Amex cards and plunk down $2000-$3000 or so, repeating the process every 3 months, give or take, as well as arm-twisting your family, friends, neighbors and business associates to do the same. I realize that’s not possible. But there are lots of other things you can do.

Take, for example, gcblues, contributor and commenter to this blog, from Costa Rica. He may not be too interested in buying Mexican indigenous art. He buys Costa Rican indigenous art. But he knows lots of people in Eugene, Oregon. Gc could put the arm on his buddies.

If you have a blog or a website, link to the Pale Horse Galleries website and online store whenever you can. Traffic breeds more traffic. More traffic breeds occasional sales.

If you belong to a church or social club or fraternal order of some kind, talk to the powers-that-be to see if a bulk purchase would be possible. Talk to your friends and fellow members to see if anyone else might be interested in buying something. If Pale Horse Galleries can ship several pieces in one package to one location, the savings will be significant. Also, Pale Horse Galleries could consider such a purchase as a single purchase and offer a volume discount.

If you really want a volume discount, buy everything from a single artist. Every item in the online store is identified by the artist(s) who created it. If I cruise into a village and offer to buy 4-6-8 different pieces from one artist, that artist will offer Pale Horse Galleries a discount and I won’t have to ask for one.

Mark in Mexico has been there and seen how they are living right now. Mark in Mexico cannot and will not beat them down anymore on their prices. I listen as a price of, say, 2000 pesos for an alebrije is quoted, and then I take a long look at it. I see a week’s work by the carver and his assistants and another week’s work by the painter(s). That’s a minimum of two man-weeks work, or 80 man-hours, probably more, for 200 dollars. That’s not exactly price gouging, at least to my mind’s eye.

That does, however, bring up another problem. Mark in Mexico knows that some artists are in more trouble than others. Some are really suffering. But would it be fair to point that out to prospective buyers? That would mean that I would be steering a buyer to a particular artist, to the detriment of others. I’m not sure that’s fair. I’m still pondering how to handle that and be fair to every one of our artists. Hmmm.

All of your many different groups up there have charities, either public charities to which they contribute or they operate their own. Here is an opportunity to use money to help people while receiving something other than tax deductions and/or a warm and fuzzy. And if a charitable tax deduction is your thing, donate the purchased pieces to the bazaars, public galleries, museums, charity auctions or to the Smithsonian. If you need an invoice, one can be provided.

Charity bazaars can be used. If you participate in or know of such bazaars, think about using money to buy some of these pieces and then resell them at a profit for the charity.

And here’s something else you can do. You may be shocked, shocked to learn that Mark in Mexico is not the be-all and end-all in marketing Mexican indigenous art. If you have ideas on other ways to market these arts and crafts, Mark in Mexico will be all ears.

What to Buy
Obviously, you can order anything you see. You also can commission a custom made work. If you can send a sketch or a photo as well as the dimensions of something you’d like to see created just for you, I’ll send back a quote. I also will pledge not to ever put a photo of that piece in the catalog so you can be assured it remains exclusive.

It might be something as simple as a custom decorated piece. "I’d like the $500 Crouching Leopard, PHG010203, by Pedro Perez and his Zippin’ Zapotecs, painted with purple spots, pink ears and shamrock green tail. How much?" And I’ll reply, "$25,000, and cheap at twice the price. When may I expect your deposit?" Or something like that. You get the idea.

How to Order
If you want to buy just one item, I’m afraid you’re pretty much stuck with the prices in the catalog at the online store.

If you want to buy 2 or more items DO NOT PLACE THE ORDER AT THE STORE.

Email me first, either at the Mark in Mexico Yahoo address or the Pale Horse Galleries Gmail address. Tell me the item names, the SKU numbers (PHG000XXX . . .) and the artist’s name(s). I’ll send back a cost with any savings in shipping cost and any discounts offered by the artist(s). You can make your decision then.

After we have agreed on a total price, then and only then should you go to the store, order the items through the store’s ordering process and make your Pay Pal deposit of the incredibly low price that you have just beaten out of me.

Much more to come.

Thanks for the votes. I really appreciate it!

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store
for art, gifts and collectibles -- all hand made
by Mexican indigenous artists.
Thanks!
TAGS: Oaxaca, Mexico, Oaxaca teachers strike, Pale Horse Galleries, gifts, collectibles, Mexican arts and crafts

The Pale Horse

Eloy Pinos López and Elva Ojeda - artists

2006-06-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

Eloy Pinis López and his wife, Elva Ojeda, maintain a small gallery in Arrazola Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca. Most of their work is on display at the artisanas showroom. Eloy and Elva have been carving and painting alebrijes and other wood sculptures for about 20 years. Eloy was trained as an artist by his uncle, Santos Pinos. As is most common among the Zapotec artisans, Eloy concieves the idea for a sculpture, finds a proper piece of copal wood in the forests surrounding Arrazola, carves and prepares the sculpture, and Elva finishes the piece.

Eloy participates in another activity which I need to research so that I can give you a report. He plays "Aztec Ball". This is a ballgame with which I am not familiar. The players wear a massive glove (Eloy has two) which is composed of a stone wieghing about 10 pounds along with a leather glove and straps which are nailed to the stone. The stone is decorated with an epoxy-like material and then painted. The ball is an 8" diameter sponge rubber sphere molded around another round stone to give it weight. I'll learn more about this game and provide some photos as it is impossible to imagine the size and mass of either the gloves or the ball without pictures.

Eloy Pinos López and Elva Ojeda

Here are some fine examples of the work of Eloy and Elva.

If you are interested in purchasing any individual pieces that you see below, as art, as gifts, or as collectibles, please send me an email and we'll see what can be arranged or you may visit my online store at Pale Horse Galleries Vstore.

Any purchases you might care to make will be paid through PayPal.

Shipping and insurance are included in the purchase price.

Fine artwork enters the US duty free.

The Pale Horse

ALEBRIJES

2006-04-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Thanks!
Please Scroll Down For Updates - updated June 11, 2006.

If you are interested in purchasing any individual pieces that you see below, as art, as gifts, or as collectibles, please send me an email and we'll see what can be arranged or you may visit my online store at Pale Horse Galleries Vstore. Any purchases you might care to make will be paid through PayPal. Shipping and insurance are included in the purchase price. Fine artwork enters the US duty free.

Alebrijes (all lay BREE hays) were first created in paper mache in Mexico City by an artist named Pedro Linares. Linares was an artist of some note who worked with both Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Pedro had become very ill with some type of gastro intestinal problem and was near death. He went into a coma and began to hallucinate. Pedro later recalled his hallucinations as dreams.

In these dreams he saw an astounding and frightening variety of strange animals. They had features that he did not recognise and were of colors that he had never seen before. He saw lizards with wings (we might call them dragons), animals with human heads and humans with animal heads. He saw some animals that he recognized, like jaguars, peacocks, antelope, owls, eagles and others but even they were strangely colored, like no animals Pedro had ever seen before. These animals, while calling out to him, "Alebrijes, alebrijes," led him down a corridor, at the end of which was a small window. Pedro Linares was able, in his dream, to crawl through the window and, with that, he awoke from his coma and was able to fully recover from his illness.

He began to tell others about his strange dreams and was encouraged by his family to attempt to recreate what he had seen. He used paper mache to begin to recreate the strange menagerie. His wife painted the figures according to Pedro's instructions. Linares died in 1992 but his family continues to produce the Alebrijes in Mexico City. However, Zapotec/Mixtec artists in two villages in the state of Oaxaca, using a native wood called Copal, now create alebrijes of a more durable and lasting nature than paper mache.

The art of conceiving, carving and painting alebrijes figures is, therefore, relatively recent. However, the indigenous peoples of Mexico have a tradition dating back to pre-Columbian times of a love for bright colors as well as for fantastical animals and monsters and, one might say, for the macabre. These sometimes frightening looking creatures are considered good luck. In fact, many indigenous families have an alebrije creature, usually a winged lizard, or dragon, if you prefer, in their homes to help ward off evil.

There are two villages in the state of Oaxaca from whence come the very finest examples of hand carved and hand decorated wooden alebrijes that can be found today. Arrazola (are rah SO lah) and San Martín (mar TEEN) de Tilcajete (teel kah HAY tay). All of the artists pictured below and their work are from one of these two Zapotec/Mixtec villages.

Collage of Alebrijes from various net sources. Click for a larger view.

Alebrijes in the central square of Arrazola, Oaxaca. Click for larger view.

A Zapotec Indian artist's child with dragon.
$589.99
Shipping and insurance included (child not included)Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Thanks!

A peacock from an artist in Arrazola.
$699.99
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A gorgeously detailed parrot.
$464.99
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Porcupines.
$199.99 each
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Click images for a
bit better view.

Blue Antelope
$529.99
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Giraffe on the town square in Arrazola.
$469.99
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Flying Green Dragon
$199.99
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Pegasus - one of the best I've ever seen.
$414.99
Shipping and insurance includedPlease visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Thanks!

THE ZAPOTECAN ARTISTS
Santiago Sosa Alebrijes
Sergio Santiago and Lucila Santiago Sosa
Arrazola Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca, México

The ancient pre-Columbian Zapotecan ceremonies have all been lost to time, but the Zapotecs continued to make their art a part of their Catholic faith. Grandfather “Tito” Pascual Santiago designed and fashioned his ancestral ceremonial masks for several different occasions, the most important of which was the Day of the Dead Ceremonies which take place the first of November every year. First his son and now his grandson, Sergio, carries on his tradition of Zapotecan art, but Sergio's first love is the Alebrije.

Sergio's wife, Lucila does the painting after Sergio has created a piece of Alebrije. Sometimes they collaborate on the final look of the piece and sometimes they work independently. Sergio does not always know how his wife may decide to finish a piece of sculpture that Sergio has created.

Sergio has been carving Alebrijes since he was 12 years old. He says it took him about 10 years to really become proficient at it.

The salon of the Santiago Sosa clan is in Arrazola Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Sergio Santiago

Lucila

Santiago Sosa - Pavo Real Mediano
$564.99
Shipping and insurance included
LxWxH = 9.8" x 44.1" x 27.2"Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Thanks!

Santiago Sosa - Iguana en Pared
$569.99
Shipping and insurance included
LxWxH = 45.3" x 25.6" x 14.2"Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Thanks!

Santiago Sosa - Salamandra
$259.99
Shipping and insurance included
LxWxH = 23.6" x 13.8" x 11.4"Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Thanks!

Santiago Sosa - Dragon con Cabeza de Pavo Real
$169.99
Shipping and insurance included
LxWxH = 11" x 5.9" x 16.1"Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Thanks!

Santiago Sosa - Dragon con Cabeza de Gallo
$179.99
Shipping and insurance included
LxWxH = 8.3" x 8.3" x 17.3"Please visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Thanks!

The Pale HorsePlease visit the Pale Horse Galleries online store. Thanks!