Agustín Cruz Tinoco

Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca uses a machete to carve wood. Agustín Cruz Tinoco is a Mixe artisan from San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca, Mexico noted for his wood carvings. His work has been recognized both in Mexico and abroad.

Origin

Cruz Tinoco learned to carve as a child from his father, also a noted artisan, in his hometown of San Juan Otzolotepec in the Sierra Mixe region of Oaxaca, where his family grew coffee and corn. When he was older, he moved to San Agustín de las Juntas, a town near the Oaxacan state capital, and sent for his wife, Cleotilde Prudencio Martínez, and four children a year later. Initially he worked in construction to support his family, carving at night, finding more of a market for his works there than he had in his hometown, despite the fact that San Agustín de las Juntas is not a town noted for wood crafts. His two sons help with the carving, with the younger, Manuel, being the more promising carver, and the older, Agustín Jr., doing much of the public relations work. His wife and two daughters do the painting, often with direction from Cruz Tinoco, using acrylics. First a base coat is applied, and other colors are applied over that, often with intricate and repeating designs.

Recognition Cruz Tinoco and the family have won awards and recognition for their work in Mexico and abroad. They participate regularly in the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico and are featured in the book Grandes Maestros de Arte Popular de Iberoamerica, published in 2014 by Banamex.