Fernando Castro Pacheco
Mexican, 1918 - 2013Trabajando con Ixtle (Working with Ixtle) from Mexican People portfolio, 1946
Not on view
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions15 × 17 9/16 in. (38.1 × 44.6 cm)
Image: 11 1/8 × 13 7/8 in. (28.3 × 35.2 cm)
Gift of Mr. Jack B. Pierson, 1987.31.3
For the portfolio introduction, Pacheco wrote:
"In the valley of Mezquital, a large region in the state of Hidalgo, exists one of the poorest indigenous groups of all Mexico. On the extremely arid ground of this valley grow plants and bushes such as "huizaches," "magueyes" and other classes of cactus. From the maguey come their homes, their beds and a great portion of their food. The pulp which they extract from the maguey, when combined with maize, forms the basis of their food; but there is something more they extract from the maguey - the fiber of the most tender prickly leaves. With these fibers, the natives weave fabrics and make rope, using the tools inherited by the community from their pre-Hispanic forebears."
