This a wood carving made by my grandfather, Jose Arroyo Lugo. It portrays an ethnographic scene from early to mid 20th century rural Puerto Rico. Depicted here is a shoe repairman hard at work repairing shoes. His role in the community was essential as workers in the community did not have a lot of money to purchase new shoes if their own shoes were damaged or worn. The zapatero (shoe repairman) would extend the life of a pair of shoes to its maximum.
Este tallado representa el zapatero reparando zapatos. Conocedor de su oficio era imprescindible en la comunidad. Como las condiciones económicas del obrero no eran tan buenas, el zapatero se ocupaba de remendar los zapatos hasta el límite.
Tallado hecho por Jose Lugo Arroyo. Fotos y modelo por Alex Elvis Badillo.
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