Local Craftsman Preserves Family Tradition

• | Print |
• 

• Published on Tuesday, 21 February 2012 13:59
• By Enrique

Angel Aguilar stood behind a five-foot long table on which knives, swords and brass knuckles were laid side-by-side in rows, glinting as they caught the sun. He picked up one of the knives and examined its blade, running a calloused thumb along its edge. And then he cleared his throat, and with the methodical manner of someone giving directions to a lost stranger, began to explain the techniques of a craft that has been in his family for generations. Each of the gleaming implements laid out before us had been forged, sharpened, shined and engraved in Aguilar's cluttered workshop, where we stood.

I visited the workshop on a Friday in January, making a small detour from the popular weekly market in Ocotlan de Morelos. Aguilar's studio is located about 25 miles south of Oaxaca City. Two grapefruit trees reach over the workshop roof, where the craftsman plies his trade. A furnace sits at the far end of the room, and along the wall are stacked metal rods and coiled springs that Aguilar will soon transform into the sharpened tools and weapons laid out before us. His old-fashioned techniques have been used in Mexico since the days of the Zapotecs, and have been preserved chiefly through the efforts of families like Aguilar's, who take pains to ensure that the tradition endures.

As a child, Aguilar learned the processes of sculpting knives and swords from his uncle, and he has now been producing these wares for more than 40 years. As he explains each step in producing one of his treasures, Aguilar speaks slowly and deliberately, intent on demonstrating each aspect of his trade to whichever visitor has come to inquire.

The majority of Aguilar's blades are made from steel, which often comes from recycled car parts, while the hilts and pommels of his implements are typically crafted from bronze.

"If you don't want to use bronze, you can use the horn of a bull," he explained, as he produced a knife with a handle made from a bull's pointed spur. He continued to show examples of knives that use antlers, hooves, and snake and iguana skin on their handles, usually with a bronze pommel of an eagle or jaguar affixed to the end. "If you don't want to use these materials, you may also use bone," Aguilar said. "Bones can come from a deer, bull, pig, cow, or sometimes from a tourist." Clearly, one of his favorite jokes.

Aguilar motioned his guests over to the furnace, where he lit ablaze a pile of charcoal, and inserted a steel file into the flames. He removed the steel, glowing orange at its tip, and began to hammer the blade into shape. He looks closely for the steel to change color as it heats; golden is best for shorter knives, violet for swords and machetes, and blue for longer, flexible blades. Aguilar polishes each blade as well, and sometimes engraves an image or message. One sword read, "Si estás un amigo, yo soy tu amigo. Si estás un cabrón, yo soy tu padre."

The master craftsman does not always find a market for his products, but occasionally a big buyer will come along. On one occasion, after Aguilar attended an industry conference, he was asked to build the recognizable and colossal sword that would be featured in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer.

Wherever his swords and daggers wind up, it is clear that Aguilar is at home in his workshop and that he takes pride in each piece he produces. After his demonstration, Aguilar calmly invited his guests to sample the coffee-flavored mezcal that he had produced and stored atop a workbench in the studio. It's evident that his family's tradition and the perseverance of his trade mean more to the sword-maker Angel Aguilar than the pesos his goods bring in. As we finished our mezcal, a new group of tourists walked into the workshop, and Aguilar's eyes gleamed as he got to work explaining each move he made, hammering at hot steel.