Apolinar Aguilar Velasco

Apolinar Aguilar Velasco is a traditional blacksmith who lives and works in the southern Mexican town of Ocotlán de Morelos, Oaxaca.

The workshop exports directly to buyers such as theaters, martial arts enthusiasts and collectors in both Mexico and the United States.

[2] Apolinar works with another brother by the name of Jesús Aguilar Velasco, and their base materials is scrap metal from autos and construction sites.

Particularly important pieces include one sold to Amalia Solórazo de Cárdenas, who then gave it to Mexican president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, and swords for two movies.

[2] Their clients also include the Colegio Militar, theaters, martial arts enthusiasts, Boy Scouts, first responders and collectors in Mexico and the United States.

Apolinar working on a piece
Family workshop with stone and brick furnace in the background
Partially worked machete