| This elephant puzzle box is fun and a wonderfully handcrafted item. It is beautiful display but also fun to take apart and put back together again. Inside the elephant, one of the puzzle pieces is a small drawer that could be used to give a small gift or treasure to a friend. The elephant measures approximately 4 inches high and is 6 inches long.
The puzzle boxes were created by Edgar Humberto Pablo Mendoza. All of their woods are certified as legal by the Guatemalan National Forestry Board. The ebony in particular is a special wood in Guatemala as it only grows in the coastal region close to Atitlan.
Humberto heads a producer group that consists of 8 young men, all natives of Santiago Atitlan, who are keeping alive traditional sculpting practices. They make each piece by hand, using only small handsaws and sanding and polishing equipment. One piece takes around 4 hours (not counting drying time), and they work in assembly line fashion, with each laborer specializing in one aspect of the production process. The business started in the mid 80s, a time of high violence and tension in Santiago Atitlan, where opportunities for young people were scarce and many people fled the town as refugees, guerillas or economic migrants. The idea from the beginning was to give young people a chance to learn a skill that would give them a secure and safe future. |
One cool elephant! 
