Apaseo el Alto 1

With the help of my road-tripping friend Gary Reid, who has been all over Mexico, and my friend, fixer/interpreter Margo Lwna, who makes everything happen when it should happen, I found the town of Apaseo el Alto, about an hour southwest of where I live in San Miguel de Allende. There will be a lot more about Apaseo in the near future, but for the moment it's enough to say that Apaseo el Alto is a home for artisan woodcarvers. 

This is one of the first images I worked on in Apaseo. It feels like a good place to start sharing images again, after taking a little time off. The image feels like it pulls me into a story. Please meet Marcelo Galván Capetillo. He's just begun working in the morning. The wood carving is of Saint Michael, The Archangel. Michael has his left foot placed firmly on the head of the devil, as he holds him down prior to slaying him with his sword. Saint Michael is one of the great protectors of Mexico. There's more than one. Michael is everywhere, and when it comes to protecting Mexico, he's not messing around.

Marcelo is 49. He was born a short distance away in Apaseo El Grande. When he was sixteen, he learned to carve wood in a school class. He loved it and he's never stopped. After school, he continued to learn on his own, and today and he has his own workshop by the side of the main highway in Apaseo el Alto. Religious-themed carving is in high demand in the area, so that's what he specializes in. His shop is alive with religious carvings, along with fantasy items and ideas he's created on his own. Marcelo is a gentle man, hard at work on his dreams. As a reflection of those dreams, I would describe him as an artist - a dream carver in his workshop in Apaseo el Alto, Mexico.