Augustín Cruz Prudencio’s skilled wood carvings have won him various awards in his home state of Oaxaca and nationally.  His work carries on a centuries-old heritage that began before the arrival of the Spanish with a tradition of giving a baby a small carving of their spirit protector or ‘nahual.’ For hundreds of years since, wood carvings of nativity scenes, virgins, saints and other religious images have held a significant role in daily and spiritual life. Augustín Cruz Prudencio learned the skill at a young age by watching his father carve. He continues to be one of the most inventive artists working in this folk art form. Augustín’s wife, Carmen Sosa Ojeda, skilled in painting, collaborates with him to create innovative, intricately-painted wood carvings.