In this municipality lives Manuel Cruz Prudencio, young artisan of Oaxaca that belongs to the second generation of wood carvers. His father Don Agustin Cruz Tinoco and his mother Doña Cleotilde Prudencio Martinez were forth runners in this magical world of artistic expression, leaving their agricultural trade aside to fully dedicate themselves to wood carving and to the production of fine carved religion pieces.

Without belonging to a family with background in the trade, or to a community dedicated to the creation of artesanias (Mexican folk art), they have managed to take advantage of their own experience by selling their pieces. Don Agustin saw the artisans making their pieces and ever since he felt led to this beautiful trade until he finally opened his own workshop along with his family.

Manuel tells that he grew up surrounded by virgins, saints and angels.

“In that time, around the 90 ´s, my father had great requests for representations of catholic saints, I started the artesanias influenced by him, at the age of 5 I was the one in charge of the polishing and patching and at the age of 11 I finally started wood carving. My brother and I used to help my father with the carving while my mother and sisters were dedicated to the decoration of the piece”.

The fine work, the grace of the characters and the brightness of their colors turn this pieces into really appealing creations.

Currently, Manuel has left aside the production of saint representations to create his own style, which has led not only him but his family to make completely different productions from their teachers. His style is more sophisticated and has complex representations and shapes.

“ I became more interested in animals but also in the making of a great variety of nacimientos (representations of Christ birth) and muertes (skulls), currently the religious representations are not as sellable as they used to be, but if someone asks for them I gladly make them. I love creating minimal pieces, I have created items of only 2 centimeters with a really complex work because the smallest the piece the harder the work”.

Manuel works mainly with copal and pine wood, which is consider according to the composition to create pieces in proportion to its texture and quality. His machete makes the initial scratch of the sculpture and little tools like: knifes, Gouges, chisels, cuernos de agave (shaping tool) and needles, are used to refine and create details and scrupulous designs. “The elaboration process of artisanal pieces of wood is the following, first the carving is made and then the piece is air dried for a while, next the sanding process begins to be followed by the wood curation, after the coining and patching of the piece starts, to finally applied a sealer that covers up all wood flaws, the piece is painted and decorated to finalize with a polisher on top of it.  

The first piece that made him feel something special was his first carved piece, an elephant.

“I like to create complicated pieces that involve movement, to me it is a challenge to surpass each creation with the next one and I want our client or collector to feel satisfied after purchasing a great piece, regardless the size of it”.

Manuel has been awarded with several prices and acknowledgments of his artisan career, he was awarded 3^rd place in the State Award Benito Juarez and an Award of the Concurso de la Juventud that is organized by MEAPO, and also he was awarded by his participation in the Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico.