Santos Bautista is the son of Jose Bautista and grandson of Antonio Bautista, one of the pioneers of Huichol art in the 1960's. Because of his experience we have imported new Czech glass beads with metallic and iridescent colors for Santos to work with. The colors Santos uses are softer which allow him to create better detail. This separates his work from the rest of the artists. Unlike most commercial art, which is made up of symbols that at times can seem like quilting or patchwork patterns. Santos uses details and color combinations to create a sense of motion. He is also the winner of the 2009 FONART Competition as the best Bead Artist.
Bead art done by the Wixaritari (Huichol) can be dated back to the 1700s, where beads were introduced by a group of missionaries in an effort to convert them into Christianity. Their efforts proved futile and they were shortly expelled from the mountains but they decided to keep the beads. Thus they were slowly introduced into their religious offerings.
The technique has remained the same throughout the years. The Wixaritari layers a coat of wax onto the wooden piece or gourd, then after stacking layers onto a needle they begin to add them one by one starting from the inside of the design. After which the contours are filled, this labor is usually done by their kids in order for them to learn this art form.
