Hector Aguilar Lantern, circa 1945

Hector Aguilar was born in 1905, he apprenticed under William Spratling at a young age, and by the age of 30, he was the top shop manager for William Spratling. Inspired by Aztec and Mextex art, Aguilar preferred to work with purer silver (rated at 940 rather than the customary 925 of Sterling Silver). Gifted with a keen business sense as well as his artistic ability, and due to wartime shortages in the US, Aguilar was able to secure a contract with the American costume jewelry company Coro in 1943, to produce silver jewelry, supplying Coro with unique Mexican designs until 1950. In 1948, Aguilar opened the Taller Borda, which quickly became one of the premier retail silver outlets in Taxco, where they offered the highest quality fine silver jewelry, hollowware and flatware that was produced at the Aguilar workshops.