El Salto
Produced by Ethan Healy
Translation by Erika GómezIn the small Mexican city of Tenancingo people take pride in their local artisans and craftsmen and their workshops define the geography of the city. Among the most important of these is the ‘El Salto’ chair shop on what used to be the main street in Tenancingo. At the helm of the business is Luis Gallegos, a hard-working and equally easygoing person.
El Salto
Photo story by Alex Scott
Alex photographed the workshop of Luis Gallegos. Click on the photo to see the slideshow.
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- Luis opens the shop on Hidalgo Street in Tenancingo. Hidalgo used to be the main thoroughfare of town, a fact that Luis attributes to the decline of his chair business.
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- Luis continues to use his father’s exact measurements to make his furniture. Many people attribute Luis’ father and Luis with bringing prestige to Tenancingo with their expertly crafted wood and palm frond weaved furniture.
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- At the height of the chair business, Luis’ father had 20 workers, a warehouse and owned the majority of the block on Hidalgo. Now Luis has only 4 workers, including his son, Fernando, and produces and sells a fraction of the furniture his father used to.
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- Fernando stains a piece of furniture as his mother, Eustoquia, cleans laundry behind him. The family’s house sits directly above the store front and the workshop.
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- One of Luis’ workers, Jose, works part time shaping the wood and building the chairs. Jose has to work another job as a groundskeeper for some flower fields that surround the mountains of Tenancingo. The flower industry dramatically changed the economy of the town.
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- Luis’ favorite part of the chair making process is painting flowers on the chairs after they have been stained.
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- Luis paints flowers in the exact way that his father did. Although he continues in the tradition of his father, Eustoquia says his father was very abusive to Luis and his siblings. She says the children were not allowed to visit their father’s grave, and that he would lock them in a dresser for hours when they misbehaved.
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- The demand for the type of chairs Luis makes has declined sharply in recent years. Luis says Mexicans no longer want this type of furniture. He says he sells more to tourists and foreigners, and that Mexicans now call this type of traditional furniture tacky.
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- Luis’ daughter brings down food from the house into the courtyard where both work is done and meals are served.
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- Luis says that the family business will continue regardless of economic conditions. He says that his daughter and son will carry on the tradition, one that is important to Tenancingo.
Featured narrative
El Salto
written by Alex ScottAlex’s story explores the life of Luis Gallegos and his furniture workshop. Click to read more…
Related stories:
The Weaver
by Alex ScottA picture story about, Julian Rivera Ayala, El Salto’s weaver.
See more…
