1 7

Javier Bobadilla Vidal

Tall 16 1/2" Paper Mache Modern Maguey/Agave Plant Sculpture Mexican Folk Art

Tall 16 1/2" Paper Mache Modern Maguey/Agave Plant Sculpture Mexican Folk Art

$ 84.99
$ 84.99
Sale Sold out
Mexican Paper Mache Maguey Sculpure
  • Height- 16"
  • Wide - 8 1/2"
  • Stand- 6" x 6"

  • Javier Bobadilla is a master artisan of paper mache and has won awards in Mexico.
  • He lives in Mexico City.
  • His work takes weeks or even months to create

  • The maguey plant has an important role in Mexico’s history as well as its cuisine. Also known as the century plant, the maguey dates back to pre-Columbian Mexico and thrives in dry rocky or sandy soil. This plant of many uses was worshiped by the Aztecs and cultivated by Spaniards.

  • Though resembling a cactus, complete with thorny edges, the maguey is actually a member of the agave family – a cousin to the Tequila blue agave. Each plant will produce up to 50 leaves about 4” wide and up to 5 feet in length.

  • Once highly sought after for its fiber, maguey was integral in the making of carpets, hammocks and fishnets until the 1970’s when synthetics and other natural fibers took its place.
  • Its strong fibrous threads were also used for piteado (a technique to embroider on leather), often woven into expensive saddles by Spanish artisans.

  • The leaves were also mashed into a paper for Aztec “codices,” pictorial books written to pass down their history. The ground, cooked pulp of the maguey leaves were blended with salt and applied to open wounds as a compress in Aztec culture; the sap has antibiotic properties which was also used to kill both staphylococcus aureaus and E. coli bacteria.

Great sculpture for any office, home or as a gift for someone special.
      View full details