Mario Agustín Gaspar

Mario Agustín Gaspar is a Mexican artisan known for his work in “maque” a pre Hispanic lacquer and “pasta de caña” sculptures made from a corn-stalk paste.

He works in the lakeside town of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, along with his wife, Beatriz Ortega Ruiz, also an artisan in her own right.

Later he rediscovered the techniques for inlaying gold in lacquered pieces working as a student of Pedro Fabián and Salvador Solchaga.

[2] Gasper is still in Pátzcuaro, living and working with his artisan wife Beatriz Ortega Ruiz, a native of nearby Erongarícuaro.

[3] Maque is lacquer made from the seeds of the chia plant, mixed with crushed aje, an insect found in various parts of Mexico.

[2] Gaspar and his wife are also known for their work in “pasta de caña”, the creation of sculptures and figures from a mass made from a mash of cornstalks, nopal cactus and orchid bulbs.

[2][3][4] This craft was originally used to create pre Hispanic god figures and in the colonial era, it was adopted to Christian images because of it light weight.

[4] He worked in the 2000s to revive the craft in Pátzcuaro, and has made a number of Christ figures as well as a nativity scene which was given to the Vatican in 2012.

[3] In 1995, he began to work with artisans in Temalacatzingo and other location in Guerrero state to recover traditional techniques of making lacquer,[3] and has given courses on the various aspects of handcraft and folk art production, mostly through the Unión de Artesanos de la Casa d e los Once Patios in Pátzcuaro and later with the state secretary of the economy and UMSNH.

[6] The Fomento Cultural Banamex named him a “grand master” in 2001,[3] and in 2010 he received the Vasco de Quiroga Prize from the city of Pátzcuaro.