A man looking to show the richness of Mexican culture finds his way in a mix made of arts, crafts, and wrestling. From childhood memories to adulthood dreams, he says life is a fight.
Ivan Azamar is a craftsman and the founder of Mundo WAC - a Mexican brand dedicated to handmade art toys - located in Cholula, Puebla. At 45 years old, he considers himself a shackle to transmit the richness and diversity of the Mexican culture by handcrafting wrestling fighters and native indigenous deities.
"Since I was a child, I have been in touch with craftsmen. My dad used to travel around the country to places like Oaxaca, Chiapas, and other craftsmanship cities and towns, and he always used to take me along with him", he says. "When my parents discovered my passion for painting, they put canvas all over the walls of our home for me to have the freedom to paint as I wished."
Ivan says that Mexican wrestling had a particular resonance in his childhood when his hobbies were painting and watching TV. "Saturdays were the days for me to sit in our living room and watch wrestling." In Mexican Wrestling, fighters usually wear a mask to hide their identity to create a new character with a distinction. "To me, they - wrestling fighters - were like superheroes."
From 1950 to 1990, many wrestling fighters became legends, such as 'El Santo, Blue Demon, Mil Máscaras, and El Rayo de Jalisco, among others, due to the film industry and the called 'Cine de Luchadores' (Wrestling Cinema). "I consider wrestling fighters are a strong Mexican symbol.", Ivan says.
"I used to see how Mexicans were represented abroad as charros sleeping under a cactus as if we were lazy people," he says, "but I believe we are so much more. Mexican wrestling fighters are still superheroes to me because many live their life differently from wrestling; they are locksmiths, painters, bakers, and so on."
When looking around in his workshop, there is a quote on the wall: "May the wind from the waters of Tlaloc appease you and protect you, to come out victorious - and warrior - from any storm." 'Tlaloc' is the native Mexican deity of the rain - from whom Ivan has found inspiration to open his first store and workshop.
"Many people ask their God to remove all the struggling moments in their life, but what we ask from Tlaloc is to protect us during the storms. This philosophy is part of what we want to transmit to anyone who enters the workshop.", he says.
The craftsman explains that in his life, he has had many falls and downs as any other human being. "For example: currently, I am in a difficult time due to the pandemic. But if you ask me what - the pandemic - has taken from me, I would tell you it has given me more of what it has taken."
When I suggested he is like a wrestling fighter, Ivan smiled, turned to me, and said: "Yes, El Pecador." 'El Pecador' is a wrestling fighter character - with horns on its mask - that he created as an alter ego. "The character contradicts many things that make no sense to me.", he says. "I think 'El Pecador' has been a part of me since childhood that later took form in a wrestling fighter."
Challenging the norm is part of Ivan's personality. Although he is an artist and claims to love colors and textures, he is wearing black clothes that contrast with the folklore of his workshop. His personality has taken him to explore outside his nuclear family center and other social norms - including religion.
Coming from a Catholic family - like many others in Mexico - he decided to leave the religion behind. "When I became atheist, I started to study spirituality on my own and discovered that there is a general truth that you can learn from everywhere. Here is when I learned more about prehispanic culture and realized the diversity of Mexican culture, and this is what I am trying to transmit throughout my art.", he says.
Ivan admits his art is a way to left a mark in this world, impacting not only his customers but all the people involved in the project. "I would love it if my art pieces could go far to places I may never go.", he says. "I believe Mexico is a fighting culture to be proudly represented."