Cobre, meaning copper, is much more than a name for the pueblo mágico of Santa Clara del Cobre; it’s the heart and soul of the community. The sound of hammering and the smoke from many copper forges wafts in the air of the entire town. There are no families unrelated to the industry, and in most, the work is traced through generations.

Carlos Punzo Chávez has a special relationship with the material. He began studying the art form from his father, Grand Maestro of Folk Art Abdón Punzo Ángel, at the age of 6, and when his father passed away from Covid, he and his four brothers vowed to carry on the legacy. For them, every copper work they create expresses their father’s life and carries a piece of his heart. The material itself is also very much alive, changing shape with each pounding and firing, shifting in hue and tone even after the piece is finished.

Carlos and his brother Abdón are two of the region’s most celebrated artists;
their pieces can be found in the Franz Meyer and National Museum of
Anthropology and the National Auditorium in Mexico City. It is displayed in luxury hotels, restaurants, homes, and galleries across North America, Europe, and even Japan.

One of their pieces won the national competition of Great Masters of Mexico's Artisanal Heritage in 2021 in the capital city. It is made in a innovative style that the brothers are championing; instead of pounding the copper design from the inside out, it’s painstakingly chiseled from the outside. This type of work can weigh up to 35 kgs and take one and a half years to create. The brothers also look to the past, though, creating all their tools by hand, eschewing gas firing, and employing a slow smoking process to achieve various
hues instead of using acids, which would compromise the health of their apprentices, all of whom are family.

Carlos Punzo and his brothers are committed to teaching the upcoming generation of their family and performing community outreach, offering workshops to young people and apprentices from Santa Clara del Cobre and neighboring towns. These free classes cover not only technique—how to fire, hammer, and finish the copper—but also the values of patience, respect, and creativity that the tradition requires. For them, their art is inseparable from
human values and community. In their view, every child who learns to hold a
hammer takes a step to preserve the legacy of their ancestors and breathe a
piece of their heart into the work.

Feria Maestros del Arte 2025

ARTIST INFORMATION

Av Morelos #449, Salvador Escalante,

Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán 61800

cel 43 4106 3710 tel 434 1200 500 <to check>

abdon_punzo@hotmail.com