Hand-Painted Sculptures and Carvings

Big wooden nutcracker figure from the Erzgebirge. The region Erzgebirge formerly Eastern Germany is famous for this special kind of nutcrackers, where intricate carving has been thei...

The young dancers wear an armor of threads over their bodies, showing off an ancient indigenous art form. Colorful thread combinations characterize the huipil dress, a rectangle of cloth handwoven on a backstrap loom that dates back thousands of years in used in Zapotec culture. Through symbols in their dresses, Zapotec women wear their identity, history, culture, power, social and marital status, religion, personality, and power. In this folkloric dance, “Flor de Piña” (Pineapple Flower), innocence surrounds young girls as they dance and hold pineapples on their shoulders as an offering. Their long braids represent purity and their bare feet symbolize their connection to the Earth. This folkloric dance is part of the “Guelaguetza” (name in the indigenous Zapotec language) Festival Celebration. Since pre-hispanic times, the indigenous people of Oaxaca have honored the goddess of maize with this festival, performing and offering gifts to ensure a good harvest. Husband and wife, master woodcarver Manuel Cruz and wood painter...