From a mold received to a craft passed on

Approximately 35 to 40 years ago, according to the family's recollection, Jesús Blázquez arrived in Colombia carrying the model related to the cross created by Kiko Argüello.

He wanted the piece to be made in the country and put at the service of the communities. That was when he approached Óscar and asked him to take on its production.

Óscar was a locksmith. He knew metals, tools and manual work, but he had never worked in artistic metal casting. Accepting the commission meant starting from zero.

In those days, technical knowledge was harder to find. There were no videos, no digital courses, no immediate access to specialists. Moreover, many casters closely guarded their methods and were unwilling to share them.

Óscar had to observe, ask, study and experiment. Every attempt taught him something about the heat, the molds, the behavior of the metal, the channels, the cooling, and the finishes. He did not receive academic training as a metal caster: he built his knowledge through practice.

The goal was not to get rich by making crosses. The original purpose was to respond to a need of the community and to keep order around the reproduction of the piece.

Jesús wanted the work to be carried out with love, responsibility and respect, so that it would not become an uncontrolled production detached from its meaning. Óscar put his craft at the service of that mission.

For many years he made pieces for communities that reached him through recommendations, catechists, acquaintances and word of mouth.

As the communities grew, the pieces began to reach different places across Colombia. Some later traveled to other countries.

Each piece left the workshop to occupy a different space: a living room, a parish, a home, a community, a seminary, or a mission. During those years, records, photographs or addresses were not always kept. That's why an important part of this project consists in reconstructing that memory.

After many years of work, production came to a halt. The pause lasted roughly 12 to 15 years.

It was not the end of the story, but it was a period in which the knowledge, the molds and the continuity of the craft were at risk.

When the possibility of resuming production arose, Óscar could no longer handle the whole process alone as before. Someone needed to learn it. That is when the craft began to be passed on to his son.

It was not only about teaching temperatures, tools or techniques. It was also necessary to pass on the memory of the piece, the care of the models, the way of observing details, and the responsibility involved in continuing a work born to serve the communities.

Roughly two years ago, the workshop strongly resumed making these pieces. The return was driven by requests from the communities, and by a concern: many reproductions in circulation had begun to modify or simplify the piece's details.

Resuming production became a way to preserve what the family had received. The workshop was lit again. The molds returned to work. The knowledge passed on by Óscar found a new generation.

Today we continue making every piece by hand. Our intention is to combine the experience built up over decades with a more organized way of serving, documenting, shipping and telling this story.

This website was born to make visible a work that for a long time lived mainly through word of mouth. We don't want to replace that closeness. We want to extend it.

The next step is not just about making more. It's about preserving better.

We want to document the molds, record the process, identify the pieces already delivered, gather testimonies, explain their meanings, and train those who will continue the craft. The legacy will be truly protected when it no longer depends solely on one person's memory, but can be clearly passed on to the next generation.