Mario Agustín Gaspar

Mario Agustín Gaspar is a Mexican artisan known for his work in “maque” a pre Hispanic lacquer and “pasta de caña” sculptures made from a corn-stalk paste. He works in the lakeside town of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, along with his wife, Beatriz Ortega Ruiz, also an artisan in her own right. Gaspar's work can be found in collections both in Mexico and abroad, including the Vatican and he has won various awards for his life's work.

Life

Gaspar grew up in the lakeside community of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, attending primary school at Ricardo Flores Magón School and middle school at Esc. Secundaria Federal Lázaro Cárdenas. He learned maque lacquer techniques when he was eleven, from primary school teacher and master craftsman Francisco Reyes, spending time at the teacher's house and helping. First he learned to make pre Hispanic lacquer, which is made from an oil mix made from chia seeds and an insect. Later he rediscovered the techniques for inlaying gold in lacquered pieces working as a student of Pedro Fabián and Salvador Solchaga. This craft was originally used to create pre Hispanic god figures and in the colonial era, it was adopted to Christian images because of it light weight.

Internationally he participated in a number of events. In 1996, he represented Mexican handcrafts at an exhibition in Chicago. In 1998 he participated in the first Latin American and European Artisan Summit in Zaragoza, Spain. In 1997, he helped to organize the Mexican artisan delegation to the Foro Bolívar in Guatemala. In 2006 he was part of the Mexican delegation at the VII Encuentro del a Promoción y Difusión de Patrimonio Inmaterial de Países Iberoamericanos in Venezuela. The Fomento Cultural Banamex named him a “grand master” in 2001,