Stone
In the Alto Magdalena valley, which embraces the strait of the river and the municipalities of San Agustín and Isnos, there is a sacred place where 2,300 years ago a mythical culture adorned and said goodbye to death through imposing statues carved in stone that oversaw guarding the graves. Crystal-clear waters of light green color contrast with the strength of enormous stones that narrow the river's path. Amid an amalgamation of textures and colors, the cold breeze, born between the Central and Eastern Mountain ranges, feeds legends of spirits that dominate the knowledge of nature. The Río de las Tumbas, as its ancient inhabitants called it, evokes a mythical tradition of stone carving that brings with it ancestral knowledge which is rescued in each of the pieces of Menguante. By incorporating stone into their work, the pieces acknowledge the need to appropriate our culture and the value of knowledge passed down from family to family, this is a means of maintaining an ancestral tradition. Finding a place for this traditional technique in today's world allows the revival of the presence of our ancestors, adding a bit of their spirit to each piece.
Introducing · JAIME LEDESMA
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The process of elaboration
of a stone piece consists of three steps that are worked out by hand. First, the collection of stones is carried out on the beaches of the Magdalena River. Different sizes, textures, and colors are selected, always considering that the stone is of the finest quality. Second, a detailed selection process is carried out. In this process, the stone is chosen according to its characteristics so that it is suitable for the design that is going to be carved. Lastly, there is the carving process which begins with making a silhouette of the figure on the stone to start cutting it. After cutting it to the desired shape, it is polished and then engraved with typical figures from the pre-Columbian era. All the above process is done for each of the designs in which this mythical material is found within the universe of Menguante. Each piece carries with it the weight of an ancestral tradition and the manual work of our artisans, who fight every day to keep the tradition alive. They are all unique pieces with their own spirit, which remind us of the value of knowing nature and the handwork of those who make them.
