San Martín Tilcajete is one of the three towns in the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, known for carving and painting fanciful figures popularly known as alebrijes; mythical dragons and other animals, pieces with cultural or religious imagery, and more. Typically the men carve the figures in a soft wood, copal, and the women paint. But Efraín Fuentes Santiago and family are atypical. Since the second decade of this century, much of Efraín’s work has involved carving images of agave, the succulent plant used to distill mezcal, into hardwood. Rather than finish them off by painting, he leaves the wood natural. And more recently he has been modeling different representative scenes of a series of stages in the production of mezcal.
The 1980s witnessed the rapid growth of the alebrije industry. Over time, virtually every family in San Martín Tilcajete began to earn most, if not all, of their livelihood carving and painting for the tourist industry. The Fuentes Santiago family was no different. By the turn of the century, as the production of alebrije increased, so did the distillation of mezcal. And every year since about 2010, the production of the agave distillate has risen meteorically. Along with the phenomenon has come mezcalero tourism. That is, visitors to Oaxaca who arrive in the state capital of Oaxaca de Juárez walk to nearby towns in and around the central valleys where the agave is mainly distilled. They come to learn about mezcal production, start their own brands for export, buy from their favorite distilleries, and shoot documentaries and photography for exhibitions.
Efraín noticed the change in the complexion of tourism. Capitalizing on Oaxaca’s appeal to tourists wanting to experience its world-renowned cuisine, visit its archaeological sites and artisan villages, and soak up its colonial charm, he began carving depictions of mezcal production and agave motifs, primarily in cedar and walnut, rather than copal. While hardwoods are more difficult to carve, Efrain sees it this way:
“Since I was little I have really liked carving with walnut, cedar and to a lesser extent cypress, and leaving my creations natural instead of painting them. Each piece of wood that I use, coming from these types of trees, has a unique character, color and grain.”
Efraín learned from his father and grandfather. In fact, his uncle, the late Isidoro Cruz, was the pioneer of the alebrije tradition in the town. As a young man, Isidoro gained notoriety as a carpenter who made carts and, perhaps more importantly, ceremonial masks and amulets for village celebrations and initiation rites. Efrain reflects that spirit of innovation.
Efrain still earns most of his livelihood making alebrijes, along with his wife Silvia Gómez and their four children ages 14 to 20. But there has been a growing market for unpainted pieces finished with just a light coat of varnish or shellac, showing different types of agave in various stages of development and illustrating the harvesting of the agave and its transformation into mezcal.
I have known the family for about 15 years. Back then, virtually none of Efraín’s artwork included agave. But in recent years in particular, with the explosion of mezcal, has come greater creativity. I saw a bench that Efraín was finishing in his workshop with a carved agave at each end. I asked him if he could make me a solid wood bar stool, not just with an agave, but with the stem of the flower or quiote extending along the back panel. I drew what I wanted. After Efrain obtained a single piece of wood for the project, there it was. Now it graces my bar area.
Efraín began carving boxes to hold a bottle of mezcal and napkin rings, in each case with an agave carved into the wood. More recently, I asked him to carve a long plaque, the theme of which is the different stages of the mezcal-making process: a jimador cutting agave in the field, a distiller or palenquero working with his horse to crush the succulent baked sweet, and an ancient clay pot distillation operation.
Seeing these fine pieces of work inspired one of the owners of the agave distillate Melate brand to have Efrain carve both an agave and the Melate logo on several promotional wooden boxes. For a later batch of boxes, Efrain was given carte blanche to carve however he wanted. There is so much confidence in his skill and wit.
Occasionally, Efrain is asked to travel to the US to promote his craft, as well as participate in museum exhibits. These projects are focused on promoting the most common art of the alebrije for the benefit of the family, the town and Oaxacan popular art in general. But Efraín’s true passion is his other work, which inspires him to think outside the box of the town, quite atypical for San Martín Tilcajete.
While Efraín Fuentes’ children Santiago and Silvia Gómez are an integral part of the family tradition of alebrije carving and painting, to their parents’ credit, all four continue in school to this day. This is something unusual in the artisan towns of Oaxaca. Whether they leave the nest and pursue individual careers, or continue to work with wood throughout their adult lives, each will have benefited from both their formal education and the advancement of tradition instilled by earlier generations of their family. It is suggested that as the mezcal star continues to rise, the economic fortunes of this family will follow suit, with agave carvings and their distillation processes leading the way.