Note - This is the second in a series of my stories about the stone Carvers of Escolasticas in Central Mexico. I'm honored to say that on March 21, 2022, an edited consolidation of these stories was published in the New York Times in their section titled The World Through A Lens. I want to thank the New York Times for the opportunity to tell a worldwide audience about these wonderful people and their art.
Alejandro Camargo is a stone carver in Escolasticas. There are about 300 carvers in this high desert Mexican town of 3000 people, which makes it maybe one person in every family. In Spanish, they’re referred to as “artesanos”, as in artisans - a term for the artists who carve volcanic stone. Alejandro stands apart. In the world of carving volcanic stone Alejandro is referred to as “maestro”, as in master - a term of achievement - a term of honor - a term of respect.
Achievement is a word not often used to define a Mexican who works with their hands. As a matter of cultural evolution, since Cortez arrived in the 1500s, the government, the church, the schools, and the parents have, to one degree or another, taught their children that achievement is not within their grasp. Children were not taught to learn to aspire and to grow. Children were told they were born to accept their place, depend on the church, and somehow survive their predestined fates. Not so for Alejandro.
A severe fall when he was 17 left him unable to do serious physical work of any kind - a disaster for a young man from a poor family in central Mexico. A sudden opportunity to learn to do basic stone carving for local construction projects appeared, and he began his long journey forward. First, he learned to cut steps for stairways, and with the help of mentors, he gradually learned how to bring the stone to life. Carving became a spiritual process and a means of finding a definition for himself. Alejandro is now 60. He has three sons, all of whom carve the stone. His personal work wins awards at carving competitions all over Mexico, and he owns a successful carving business called AM (managed by Angel, one of his sons). AM provides carvings for homes, ranches, businesses, and religious centers all over Mexico, South America, and the US.
Alejandro finishes the detailed work on a sculpture of St Michael, the Archangel, the protector of the people, and the leader of the army of God over Satan, whom he pins to the ground with his boot before slaying him with his sword. I continued to be drawn to this photo and I didn't know why until I noticed the face of St Michael is almost the same as the face of Alejandro. I don't think that was intentional. I think it simply reflects the fact that without realizing it, in some form, Alejandro mirrors all his work.
The legacy continues. Alejandro and his sons (all talented stone carvers). From left, Gabriel, Ricardo, and Angel.
Standing next to a piece of volcanic stone, which might weigh 1,000 kilograms, Alejandro appears slight and as light and dry as a desert breeze. He doesn’t walk forward so much as he simply appears. He smiles easily, and he loves to chat so much he may take ten minutes to never actually answer a yes or no question. You’d expect his hands to be torn and raw, but they appear as delicate and soft as the wings on a Mexican monarch butterfly - they look almost sculpted. Everything he touches shimmers in the midday sun.
From where I stand, I see him slightly separated from the stone. They are not exactly one and the same. He speaks to the stone and asks it what it wants to be. The stone responds to him. He then steps to one side, and he allows it to be so. I see them as lovers joined by an energy of spirit. Alejandro sees his visions of the stone as mirrors of the sky, the sun, the desert, the trees, the birds, and the animals. To him, it’s all one interconnected environment, with every element dependent on the next. Taken together it's another carving waiting to be born. He stands close and embraces it. To carve it and give it form and give it life is his place in the world.
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