Born in Taxco de Alarcón Guerrero, Carlos Benítez is the heir to an important silversmithing tradition. Trained in the craft of silversmithing from childhood in various workshops in the city, he specializes in different traditional techniques of Mexican silversmithing, such as Filigrana, drawing inspiration from the work of artisans in Mérida Yucatán, Oaxaca, and San Felipe del Progreso Estado de México. The handling of precious metals, and the setting of gems, combined with a special skill for creating mechanisms and clasps, along with the use of modular design resources, enable him to create proposals loaded with tradition and innovation.
His talent and virtuosity have led him to be awarded the National Silversmithing Award twice at the Feria Nacional de la Plata in 2015 and 2017, the State Government Award in 2019 and 2021, and the William Spratling Award in 2020. He also won third place in the National Silver Award in 2016, as well as the Juan Ruiz de Alarcón y Mendoza Award in 2012, with exhibitions in the same years at the Centro Cultural Casa Borda Taxco. He is the winner of the National Design Award Diseña México in 2021 and 2022, among other national and international awards. He has been honored as one of the Great Masters of Silversmithing in Taxco and has taught various courses in the technique of Filigrina at jewelry schools such as Plata Laguna del Tec de Monterrey in Torreón Coahuila, Tec de Monterrey Campus Guadalajara, Tec de Monterrey Campus Toluca, 925 Plata Studio CDMX, the Diploma in Folk Art at the Museo Morelense De Arte Popular, Festival Internacional Cervantino 2019, and the Seminar for Artists, Designers, and Artisans at the Faculty of Arts and Design UNAM Taxco.
He is recognized by the Centro de Documentación de la Filigrana in Italy as one of the best exponents of this technique in Mexico.
