Arturo Salgado, known affectionately as Maestro Arturo, reflects on his lifelong passion: “I have been practicing this craft for 50 years, and my appreciation for it grows every day,” he said as he skillfully shaped silver wire into elegant spirals.
Beginning his journey as a teenager, the 67-year-old now works alongside his wife Martha Téllez, their three daughters, and occasionally their grandchildren. Using simple hand tools like needle-nose pliers, the family meticulously handcrafts detailed silver jewelry.
Their workshop, Antiguas Maravillas (Ancient Wonders), is designed to demonstrate the artisanal transformation of raw silver into exquisite earrings and necklaces for visitors.
Located just a few miles from Oaxaca’s downtown in the southern Mexican state of the same name, the workshop occupies the front area of the couple’s home. Each daughter—Donají, 45; Rubí, 41; and Yesenia, 38—lives in her own house on the property, sharing a shaded patio.
This arrangement allows the family to live close enough to collaborate while maintaining their own space, fostering unity and facilitating the sharing of ideas, Donají explained.
Patience, focus, and tranquility are essential to this demanding craft, Maestro Arturo noted. Creating an intricate pair of earrings can involve over 100 individual components and require several days to complete, although artisans often work on multiple pieces simultaneously.
Yesenia shared that the meticulous nature of the work has served as a refuge during difficult times, such as her divorce. “No matter what is going on around you, focusing on the piece helps you forget everything else,” she said.
In Oaxaca’s Valles Centrales region, silversmiths often employ a filigree style known as cartoneado, which uses single strands of flattened wire instead of pairs of twisted fine wires. “The fabrication steps differ slightly from filigree styles found elsewhere,” Rubí explained.
The family demonstrated their technique: first, they create silver wire by pouring molten silver into molds to form pencil-thick rods. These rods are then gradually thinned using a hand-cranked rolling mill and a drawplate with progressively smaller holes to produce fine, malleable wire.
Next, the wire is textured by passing it through a steel plate with threaded holes, giving the flattened wire serrated edges. Short sections are then bent into delicate curlicue patterns, arranged like a puzzle, and pressed into soft charcoal to hold the design steady for soldering.
After assembly, the jewelry is polished, treated with an oxidized finish to impart an antique appearance, and often adorned with freshwater pearls or beads sourced from suppliers.
Beyond filigree, the family also employs lost-wax casting, a process where a wax model is encased in a mold that melts away under heat, leaving a cavity for molten metal. They frequently combine both techniques, adding filigree details to cast elements like flowers or birds.
Their equipment is basic and sometimes homemade; for example, Maestro Arturo built a manual centrifugal casting machine using parts salvaged from a washing machine.
Prices at their workshop range from about 500 Mexican pesos ($27) for small heart-shaped earrings to 17,400 pesos (approximately $930) for a set featuring a pearl necklace with a large filigree pendant and matching earrings.
The family also participates in arts and crafts fairs across Mexico and internationally, including an upcoming International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where prices typically reflect added event costs.
Maestro Arturo traced their craft’s roots to his Zapotec and Mixtec ancestors in Oaxaca’s Valles Centrales region. Monte Albán, a UNESCO World Heritage site near their home, was the Zapotec capital until the ninth century and later a Mixtec stronghold known for advanced metalworking predating Spanish colonization.
Archaeological finds at Monte Albán include pre-Columbian Mixtec gold pieces resembling filigree, though created using casting methods often called “false filigree” due to the absence of bent wire techniques.
While filigree is an ancient art, the skill of making and shaping fine wire appears to have been introduced to Latin America after the Spanish arrival, according to experts in folk art and cultural history.
Traditional filigree work is declining in some regions due to its labor-intensive nature and the rising cost of materials. It remains, as one artisan described it, “an act of love.”
Though Antiguas Maravillas is one of several filigree workshops in Oaxaca, it is among the most renowned. A 2016 publication on Oaxacan metalwork highlighted the family as one of eight artisans still practicing traditional methods. Earlier this year, their work was showcased in a Mexico City exhibition celebrating traditional Oaxacan metalsmithing.
Linda Hanna, an American folk art tour guide based in Oaxaca for over two decades, often brings visitors to Antiguas Maravillas, noting their fascination with the process. “Many have seen the jewelry in stores but don’t realize the artist makes the wire before crafting the piece,” she said. She also highlighted the unique appeal of witnessing three generations, including women, involved in the craft.
Maestro Arturo emphasized his desire for his wife and daughters to fully engage in every step of the process—from melting silver to final touches. “This craft used to be exclusively for men,” he said, acknowledging that some still hold that view due to traditional machismo.
His own journey began at age 15 after relocating from a remote village to Oaxaca’s capital, where an older brother apprenticed in metalsmithing introduced him to the trade. After his brother’s untimely death, Arturo continued learning from others and took courses to refine his skills.
In earlier times, gold was the primary metal for Oaxacan filigree jewelry, and Arturo spent years producing gold pieces for local stores.
Martha initially assisted with simple tasks but soon developed a passion for the craft, joking that her husband could no longer get her away from the workshop. As each daughter completed her education, she joined the family business.
Despite challenges, including losing a home during an economic crisis in the 1990s and a burglary years later, the family’s resilience and determination have helped them rebuild and thrive.
All five grandchildren are familiar with the workshop, from five-year-old Samuel Chávez Salgado, one of Yesenia’s sons, to 22-year-old Frida Cruz Salgado, Rubí’s daughter, who won her first craft competition at age eight and is currently studying law.
Yesenia sometimes hopes her sons might choose careers like medicine, engineering, or office work for ease, but also wishes they might carry on the family tradition.
In February, her son Mateo, age seven, became the youngest recipient in a competition organized by a nonprofit supporting Oaxacan folk art and a local museum. He designed a round pendant featuring filigree shaped like the polygons of a soccer ball.
The museum displayed his creation alongside his statement: “When I grow up, I want to be a jeweler like my grandfather and a soccer player like Ronaldo.”
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