Meet Our Collections
We are interested in expanding the possibilities of our creations, generating different worlds and telling new stories that, at the same time, help us continue sharing our culture and traditions.
The workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles has always sought ways to innovate and stay at the forefront of the craft. After years of perfecting carving and decorating techniques, and with the involvement of our son, Ricardo Ángeles, our concepts and creativity have matured, allowing production to be conceived through collections, rather than just individual pieces. These series complicate the way the pieces relate to each other, in their context, with a theme, and even a story.
One thing we have been very clear about since the 90s is understanding our work as works of art, blurring the line that differentiates art from craftsmanship. The idea of generating collections has brought us even closer to refining that aspect, combined with the construction of a gallery space in the workshop facilities and in our locations, complemented by the appropriate devices and lighting, which results in an impeccable presentation of all our work.
01
Behind a Mask
For several years now, the Jacobo and María Ángeles workshop has enriched and promoted carnival by recovering its vernacular elements. This is a collection that seeks to make the tradition known while incorporating its aesthetic vision, in which masks stand out as a result of an anthropological, cultural, and artistic process.
02
Eternal Rest
Gentle masters of Xoloitzcuintles, Jacobo and María Ángeles draw from an ancient tradition and the bond with these superlative beings. They share a set of sculptures that feature well-defined backs, trunks, and ears, contemplating the subjectivity of art in every line and stroke in black and white. Eternal Rest is a remote boundary to the offering to these beings of magnificent intelligence and personality who share the continuous path to save your soul in the spiritual, earthly, and underworld.
03
Brothers of the Earth
Wood and stone can be inert materials. Human action — although also cosmic and natural processes — is capable of shaping elements that seem to rest in an eternal dream. From a "glance", the craftsman can find the image of an extinct animal in the branch of a fallen tree, multiply the visual senses that a trunk can derive, and chisel and shape in stone the tides of images that inhabit his mind.
04
Plague
The Jacobo and María Ángeles workshop presents "Plague", a sharply reflective collection that inhabits the boundaries of what we consider beautiful and what we passionately reject as unpleasant. The anxiety or repulsion commonly produced by insects considered as pests is nullified by the meticulous details of Zapotec iconography, the silver details, and the gold leaf finishes that adorn these crunchy bugs carved from copal wood.
05
Nomads
A collection that represents three years of work and effort. It presents a vision of a dystopian future where science merges with ancestral Zapotec beliefs; genetically experimenting with humans and mixing them with animal characteristics, going against nature with the aim of achieving greater longevity, resilience, and adaptation to the land in order to face the adversities brought by migration.
06
Guardians
The Jacobo and María Ángeles Workshop created two “Guardians” to inhabit the city of New York with the mission of accompanying and protecting all Latin American, Mexican, and Oaxacan migrants who live or are about to arrive in the United States seeking a better future for their families. These two monumental figures are part of the narrative presented in the NÓMADAS collection.
07
Hurakán
Hurakán refers to the storm deity, a word of Mayan origin that describes one of the most complex natural phenomena. A creature with a single leg that approaches the surface imposing, moving the wind impetuously with its arms, and holding itself from the sea with its claw. This exhibit from the Jacobo and María Ángeles Workshop seeks to translate this idea, paying tribute to this fearsome yet kind god. With its multiplicity of presences and effects, it is shown to us once again from the instance of the unbelievable.
08
Mixtec Ball
Dawn breaks. It is Sunday, and when the Sun is at its zenith, the Commitment begins. The sacred space is carefully marked with lime by the Chacero. The 10 players grouped into two teams pay their respects to the Coime before entering the Pasajuego. “It’s going well!” shouts the excited Chacero. When the ball is in the air, eternity is present. Its trajectory is diverted by a formidable glove that prevents it from falling to the ground. The Pelota Mixteca is a practice for people with common sense in the community sense, their identities are united in the duality of the ancestral game: ritual and sport.
09
Jaguars
The pieces displayed below present a novelty in forms and strategies. The intervention of these figures reveals, almost in a brutalist manner, their structure made of carved ironwood from the outside. This respect for the background allows for an appreciation of the materiality of the wood itself, enabling its conception as part of a range, not only of colors but also of possible textures. Each piece is decorated with applications of gold leaf, visually highlighting the symbolic elegance of the jaguar.
10
Tuning
The automobile is the quintessential vehicle. That machine which gives us the possibility to move spatially, but also to engage in various types of symbolism, whether of status, identity, among others. Based on the idea that we ourselves construct and modify reality through interventions in our context and possessions. The workshop Jacobo and María Ángeles has decided to engage in tuning, in the intervention of various objects and in contributing to the reconstruction and appropriation of reality to make it more personal, less foreign.
11
From the earth
From the earth is a collection that starts from the idea of conserving and cherishing. The series consists of various miniature animals from the wildlife of San Martín Tilcajete, whether they are present or extinct. On the other hand, it includes a category of animal fusions, which are larger in size than the rest of the figures in the series. As a tribute, they are immortalized to be remembered in the future.
12
Night Owls
Among the branches of the trees, protected by the twilight of the night, the solitary owls nest. A collection composed of nine pieces of these nocturnal birds, who spread their wings, gaze into your eyes, and after a long day, will finally fly home.
13
Calendar
Iguana, coyote, turtle, chameleon, snake, armadillo, deer, rabbit, frog, dog, monkey, owl, opossum, jaguar, eagle, mockingbird, butterfly, snail, fish, hummingbird: these are 20 animals that make up the Zapotec calendar. The Jacobo and María Ángeles workshop proudly presents this series of pieces with great pride and knowledge. As a way of thanking for their 28 years, the workshop is pleased to present the origin of their artistic understanding, also inspiring the worldview of the tonas and nahuales.
14
Pachangas
In this endless celebration, the affectionate monkeys towards themselves and their loved ones laugh, hug, and caress each other. An unusual staging where behavior is defined solely by the directive of pleasures. These joyful primates teach us a very important lesson: how sexuality is an essential part of our nature.
15
Nahual Heart
Heart of nahual arises from a dialogue between Jacobo and María about their youthful courtship, and what was at that time the act of courting your partner through a gift. They thought of an object that was previously given: a jewelry box, and how these have always been wooden boxes, tiny containers of secrets and treasures.
16
Nahual Heart Duo
DUO consists of a loving gesture between two nahualitos, where they pamper each other with tenderness. Each piece is a love letter for your most precious being, where the delight of love manifests through the exquisite details of this special production from the Jacobo and María Ángeles Workshop.
17
Cold Blood
Within Zapotec wisdom, reptiles represent teaching. The iguana is the animal of mastery, transcendence, and certainty. The snake, the ultimate power, knows how to speak to us and convince us, even when all predictions point to the appeal. It is for this reason that the Jacobo and María Ángeles Workshop proudly presents COLD BLOOD, an unprecedented collection that has been conceived over the past eight years.