meet our artisans
The Santos Rojas Family of Northern Sierra, Mexico
in their tiny, magical village the Santos Rojas family creates visually stunning wall art out of bark of the jojoba tree. The art of making this unique art form has been passed down from generation to generation since 1000 BC. Today, the whole Santos Rojas extended family works in the family workshop making this papel amate just as their did their ancestors. But while staying true to ancient processes, these artisans continually re-create and transform the art form into pieces finding their way into homes and places of business all over the world. The Eye and the Hand is honored to be able to sell and commission the work of the Santos Rojas Family–connecting Mesoamerica with the modern world.
Since 1000 BC, the Nuju of Sierra Norte Mexico have been making paper from the fibers of tree bark. Originally, during this Mesoamerica period, this bark paper was used for the long folded manuscripts containing pictorial histories of the Nuju and their spirit gods. The process has evolved from those ancient days into an art form that may still depict the spirit forms, but has grown to encompass woven intricate patterns that are often embellished with the native Otomi embroidery, beads or other indigenous materials.