Wood carving and carpentry

Description

In Guatemala, pre-Hispanic furniture is something very different from what is known as furniture today.   It was not until the arrival of the Spanish that they began to work on wooden chairs with backrests, trunks, tables and other artifacts made of this material.   It was the Spanish carpenters who began to train their native apprentices, thus establishing the first carpentry workshops in colonial times.

Due to their availability, we began to work with cedar, mahogany, pine and cypress woods.  The colonial furniture was worked with a baroque style, due to the Spanish influence, in which curves and spiral figures predominated.  This style is still preserved in the handmade furniture proposals that are produced in Antigua Guatemala or the municipality of Nahualá, mainly.

In addition to furniture, artisans also make masks, which in pre-Hispanic times were made of stone, clay or even jade.   After the arrival of the Spanish, they began to be made of carved wood and then painted by hand.  It is then when the morerías begin to emerge in the country.   Currently, most of these masks are made of white pine, carved from logs, and each mask is usually associated with a geographic location in the country.  The departments of Quiché, Totonicapán and Alta Verapaz are the ones that have been most dedicated to this trade.

There is also the imagery, existing on the one hand the colonial one, which was born with the arrival of the Spanish and the entire evangelizing movement, and on the other hand the interpretation of the colonial imagery that indigenous carvers have developed in municipalities such as Nahualá, Chichicastenango or Totonicapán, and which is today available in the local market.   This new artisanal imagery is carved and painted by hand and develops religious figures, such as saints, virgins, archangels and others.

Other artisanal proposals developed in Guatemala under this category are wooden toys and also musical instruments such as the marimba, the huehuetl or the tunkul (drums) or the chirimía (or flute), used in indigenous dances and ceremonies.

englishWood Carving and Furniture Carving

In Guatemala, pre-Hispanic furniture is something very different from what is known today as furniture. It was not until the arrival of the Spaniards that wooden chairs with backrests, trunks, tables and other artifacts.  It was the Spanish carpenters who began to train their native apprentices, establishing the first carpentry workshops in colonial times. Due to its availability, we began to work with cedar, mahogany, pine and cypress woods. The colonial furniture was worked in a Baroque style, due to the Spanish influence, in which curves and spiral figures predominated. This style is still preserved in the handmade furniture proposals that are produced mainly in Antigua Guatemala or the municipality of Nahualá.

Besides the furniture, artisans also make masks, which in pre-Hispanic times were made of stone, clay or even jade. After the arrival of the Spaniards, they began to be made of carved wood and then painted by hand. It was then that the morería. began to emerge in the country. Currently, most of these masks are made of white pine, carved from the log and each mask is usually associated with a geographical location in the country. The departments of Quiché, Totonicapán, and Alta Verapaz are the ones that have produced the most.

There is also the imagery, on the one hand the colonial imagery, which was born with the arrival of the Spaniards and the entire evangelization movement, and on the other hand the interpretation of the imagery that has been developed by indigenous carvers in municipalities such as Nahualá, Chichicastenango or Totonicapán, and that today is available in the local market. This new handcrafted imagery is hand-carved and painted and develops religious figures, such as saints, virgins, archangels and others.

Other handicrafts developed in Guatemala under this category are wooden toys and also musical instruments such as the marimba, the huehuetl or the tunkul (drums) or the chirimía (or flute), used in indigenous dances and ceremonies.