From Santo Tomas Jalieza, Oaxaca, Claudia Martinez Vargas creates items such as nichos, a folk art popular throughout Central and South America, often devotional but sometimes merely quirky. Claudia also produces ex-votos, which are votive offerings to a saint or deity, given in fulfillment of a vow (Ex-voto is short for ex voto suscepto “from the vow made”) or in gratitude or devotion. These are usually restricted to Christian examples. Along with these devotional crafts, Claudia also creates wall hangings depicting angels, mermaids, catrinas, and colorful, fun, and creative tuna cans.
