Celerino C. Vazquez lives in the state of Hidalgo where he pursues his craft of inlaying abalone shell into his miniature and larger-size wood creations such as guitars, pianos, harps - each miniature item comes in its own handcrafted box called a copa with sliding lid.

All residents in the town where Celerino live work with shell. His inherited the craft of inlays from his father, a craft that has all but disappeared in Mexico. Abalone shell had been a prized material since the Toltecs in every Mesoamerican tradition of artifact. Spratling combined abalone shell with rosewood and ebony in some of his great jewelry art.

In the past, abalone was used extensively in the production of jewelry and other objects but gradually artisans were forced to abandon their homes and many have left their homes to find work in the cities or as wetback laborers in the US or Canada. Another example of how Mexican folk art teeters on the brink of extinction as the modern world chooses price over quality when purchasing art.

It takes years to learn to unlock the secrets of the wood and the shell. This Mexican folk art embraces great beauty, quality, skill and is one of the finest and most delicate of Mexican crafts. Juniper is the wood of choice used for Celerino's creations. His tools include the compass, drills, knives, different types of files, saws, emery wheels, jeweler's saws, wooden pliers, dies, a vise, hand drill, electric saw, electric lathe, sandpaper, and small punches.

The abalone is purchased is Mexico City where it is brought from Baja, California. Taking a piece, Celerino removed the wood in the area which he will inlay, using a drill. He finishes the process with a knife and then a lathe and files. Most delicate is the technique used on his miniature musical instruments to hollow out the areas that will receive the inlaid abulón shell.

Next comes the decoration, the inlay (incrustado or embutido) of the abalone. Before cutting out the designs from the shell, it must be prepared. Using an emery wheel and other implements, he cleans and smoothes the surface, wearing down the shell until he achieves the desired thickness. Next, he meticulously inspects the material to ensure that it is smooth, compact and without lumps, holes or pores that would render it unusable.

Then he cuts the shell into strips of varying widths that run from 0.8cm to 2 cm. Working on pieces of wood attached to his table, he cuts out the tiny decorative motifs from these strips, following the patterns he has traced on them with a compass or pencil. While cutting, he holds the shell in place with wooden tweezers.

The surface of the wood where the inlay will be placed is given a coating of polyvinyl that serves as an adhesive. Using tiny tweezers, he places the shell onto the wood. When the adhesive sets, he covers the object with a paste made from water and burnt bone which, when it comes in contact with the polyvinyl, forms at thick covering.

When the paste has dried, he polished the piece with sandpaper and emery until the inlay work is exposed. The object is finished, wood and shell united.

Contact information:
Av. Luis Chavez Orozco #323
El Nith, Ixmiquilpan
759 723 8488 or 771 152 0943

Or contact Marianne Carlson at (from the US) 01152 376 765 7485 or email marianne carlson@gmail.com.