Tall 16 1/2" Paper Mache Modern Maguey/Agave Plant Sculpture Mexican Folk Art

Description

Mexican Paper Mache Maguey Sculpure
Height- 16"
Wide - 8 1/2"
Stand- 6" x 6"
Javier Bobadilla is a master artisan of paper mache and has won awards in Mexico.
He lives in Mexico City.
His work takes weeks or even months to
create
The maguey plant has an important role in Mexico’s history as well as its cuisine. Also known as the century plant, the maguey dates back to pre-Columbian Mexico and thrives in dry rocky or sandy soil. This plant of many uses was worshiped by the Aztecs and cultivated by Spaniards.
Though resembling a cactus, complete with thorny edges, the maguey is actually a member of the agave family – a cousin to the Tequila blue agave. Each plant will produce up to 50 leaves about 4” wide and up to 5 feet in length.
Once highly sought after for its fiber, maguey was integral in the making of carpets, hammocks and fishnets until the 1970’s when synthetics and other natural fibers took its place.
Its strong fibrous threads were also used for piteado (a technique to embroider on leather), often woven into expensive saddles by Spanish artisans.
The leaves were also mashed into a paper for Aztec “codices,” pictorial books written to pass down their history. The ground, cooked pulp of the maguey leaves were blended with salt and applied to open wounds as a compress in Aztec culture; the sap has antibiotic properties which was also used to kill both staphylococcus aureaus and E. coli bacteria.
Great sculpture for any office, home or as a gift for someone special.