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Palo
Fierro...
or "Iron Wood" is the wood
from a tree of the Fabaceae family.
(latin name: Olneya Tesota).
It grows in the SONORA desert in northern Mexico. |
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The tree is an evergreen that can reach a height of 9 meters and a
circumference of 7.5 meters. It is one of the heaviest and densest
woods on earth (it does not float). The trees grow generally to be
more than a hundred years’ old: it is a rare and precious wood
that can only be sculpted when it dies naturally and dries on the
spot for about 3 years. The wood is naturally dark, with highly visible
veins.
The artists do not dye it or varnish it, but wax it with shoe
wax and polish it.
Each item is entirely hand-made by adult craftsmen. Their production
brings income to many Mexican villages.
Each
Palo Fierro sculpture is unique.
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