Arbol de la vida - The Tree of Life

This Tree of Life made in terracotta was sculpted by the Mexican artist Tiburcio Soteno. For the Soteno brethren of Metepec in the State of Mexico, creating the sculptures known as árboles de la vida (trees of life) is more than an art form – it is a family tradition. It all began in the 1930s, when Modesta Fernández – wife of Darío Soteno – began making clay sculptures. According to her grandson Oscar Soteno, Modesta started out with whistles and molded them to look like a variety of animals – horses, lions, rabbits and the like.