Reyes Vargas family

Reyes-Vargas family . Cautious Christ . The family is the bearer of cultural traditions , specifically in the leather embossing, a genre of Traditional Popular Culture , they have participated in different events obtaining satisfactory results.

Summary

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• 1 Historical Background
• 2 Tradition
• 3 Events and awards
• 4 See also
• 5 Sources
• 6 External Links

Historical background

The “Reyes Vargas” family has been cultivating the leather saddlery tradition since 1935 . Its history dates back to the development of livestock with its introduction in the Cauto valley and its progressive evolution, carried out by the peninsular founders of Cauto del Santo Cristo.. His haciendas and cattle farms gave way to a domestic saddlery that he already knew about skin tanning using various tree barks for these purposes, making many families secret the quality and color of tanning as the maximum of this manifestation, an ennobled skin it was synonymous with good embossing, where the dies used were the hallmark of exclusivity for the decoration. These tools were made by the saddlers themselves, in the case of the Calero family, where true masters of saddlery emerged.

Tradition

In the nineteenth century the lime industry was already emerging: tanners and saddle makers, livestock keepers, who transmitted the knowledge from generation to generation in the family, founding the first saddlery in the town in 1928. Already in 1935 his productions had spread to other countries such as the United States and Mexico. Of these main paradigms of saddlery, Orlando Calero and Miguel Osorio propose a style and stamp of originality in their work that today is maintained by descendants, such is the case of the Reyes Vargas family, who retain the direct tanning known for the founding family, their die techniques and the aesthetic vision of a work that lasts with their drawings and designs, especially the tanning of the skin with their own tree bark for this purpose, which only they know.

The quality and design respond to the old laws of the embossing known to the family that today supports his work in Cauto Cristo , skills from parents to children, nephews and grandchildren leave the tradition in the family with a unique continuity of making the embossing, its old dies show the authenticity of Cauto Cristo’s family saddlery. The Reyes Vargas family obtained their knowledge of this strong local tradition by transmitting the Caleros, whose main paradigm in leather embossing, Ramón Calero, trains Amado Reyes, father of this family, in a small leather industry, who prepares his children and wife Marilín Morales Vargas, with their experience learned from the leather embossing transmitted by their grandfather, a saddlery worker for Monso Calero in 1935 . In this process, its own tanning style and form has been consolidated.

In 1990 the family joined the Socio-Cultural Project “Cantos Vaqueros” for its meritorious work in maintaining the local saddlery traditions within the movement of amateur artists and representing the municipality with its works in national and international events. They currently work in the state leather industry in Cauto Cristo and their work is representative of the demonstration, highlighting their original designs as utilitarian and decorative crafts.

Events and awards

• 1992-International event “Graciela Bustillo” for the exchange of experiences of a community nature as the headquarters of the aforementioned project, sharing with different Latin American personalities, obtaining recognition for the works presented.
• 1992-VI Forum on Manufacturing and Recovery of Parts and Spares and Advanced Technology, Granma province . Obtaining recognition for his participation as a speaker with the theme: “Dies made from recovered materials”, given in the Cauto Cristo municipality, Granma province.
• 1994-XIV Festival of Caribbean Culture, Santiago de Cuba receiving recognition from the Casa del Caribe for its exhibitions.
• 1994-First local history event, presentation “History of Saddlery”, Cauto Cristo municipality, Granma province.
• 1994-2004-Fair of Popular Art developed within the framework of the “Fiesta de la Cubanía”, held in the Bayamo municipality , Granma province, receiving recognition for their active participation.
• 1994-2008-Conference on municipal culture in all editions including the XXVIII edition of 2009 dedicated to the Reyes-Vargas family for their results and contributions to the National Culture.
• 1996-XI Science and Technology Forum, certificate given in Cauto Cristo municipality, Granma province.
• 1997-Municipal Event of Creative Women, developed in the House of Culture within the framework of the XXX Anniversary of the fall in combat of the Heroic Guerrilla, Cauto Cristo municipality, Granma province.
• 1999-XII Forum of Science and Technology. Obtaining a certificate in the category
• “Collection of leather utilitarian objects” as a relevant work, given in Cauto Cristo, Granma province.
• 2000-National Culture Forum as speakers. Awarding of a diploma for their participation in it by the Provincial Directorate of Culture, Granma province.
• 2001-XIV Science and Technology Forum. Award of certificate as speakers, given in municipality, Cauto Cristo, Granma province.
• 2001-Nominated for the National Prize for Community Culture given in the City of Havana by the National Center for Community Culture in recognition of the “Cantos Vaqueros” project, Cauto Cristo municipality, Granma province.
• 2001-Obtaining the Prize in the National Contest “Memoria Nuestra” within the project “Cantos Vaqueros” and its exhibition set of Embossing in Skin by the organizing committee of Las Romerías de Mayo, Holguín province.
• 2001-Obtaining of the Provincial Community Culture Award for the sustained work in the community work of the demonstrations that make up the project “Cantos Vaqueros”, awarded by the Center for Community Culture, Granma province.
• 2001-Award of diploma as speaker of the Provincial Scientific Event
• “Rescue of the Historical and Feminine Memory”, Granma province.
• 2004-VI Provincial Culture and Development Workshop, as speakers. Awarding of a diploma to the artisan artists of the Cantos Vaqueros project in recognition of their participation, by the Provincial Sector of Culture and Popular Power, Granma province.
• 2007-Acknowledgment for his participation in the contest “Our Cubanía” for his works of saddlery tradition, Cauto Cristo municipality, Granma province.
• 2007-Recognition of the project “Cantos Vaqueros” and its manifestation of “Embossing in Leather” in Artisan Exhibition “, awarded within the framework of La Fiesta Guantanamera, Guantánamo province.
• 2008-Recognition granted by the House of Culture “Raúl Gómez García” for his outstanding work in preserving our livestock traditions and being founding members of the “Cantos Vaqueros” Project, given in the Cauto Cristo municipality, Granma province.
• 2008-XVIII Edition of the Caribbean Festival. His exhibition is inaugurated in the house of Mexico. Publication of the article “Popular Art in the Fire Festival” by Víctor Manuel Sigue, journalist researcher at the Casa del Caribe, Santiago de Cuba province.
• 2008-Recognition granted by Casa del Caribe for his exposition of Embossing in Skin and delivered by the First Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Rafael Bernal, Santiago de Cuba province.
• 2008-Obtaining the Municipal Heritage Award “I keep my Heritage”, first place in the Collection of portfolios and utilitarian objects, Cauto Cristo municipality, Granma province.
• 2008-Invitation by the National Directorate of Local Industries to the “International Fair of Havana FIAHC 2008”. Recognition for the quality of the work exhibited, Ciudad de la Habana province.
• 2008-Invitation by the National Directorate of Local Industries to the “International Fair of Havana FIART 2008”. Obtaining a Special Prize in Crafts, specialty, saddles embossed in leather, Ciudad de la Habana province