Maestro Rafael

The character lines on the face of Maestro Rafael reflect the daily toil he has endured as a lifelong coppersmith. His trade has been passed on from father to son for hundreds of years in the valleys of Santa Clara del Cobre in central Mexico; from the ancient purepecha people to their descendants who still speak their now fading dialect. Maestro Rafael spends his days by the intense heat of a giant forge, melting recycled copper bits into large bricks of copper. And then, with the strength of an ox, begins to hammer the brick into flatter pancake shaped pieces. With the skilled artistry of a master, Maestro Rafael begins the more delicate work of giving shape to his creation. And although he has been awarded prizes for his work in copper; he sees himself as just doing what he was meant to do with his time here.