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Home > Terracotta and Candles

Large Terracotta Angel w/Lamb Candleholder with 10 Hand-dipped Candles

Item Id: BC02A w/CC01A

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This 6" candleholder is the one of the most beautiful angels you've ever seen. She comes with 10 assorted candles made by the Q'eqchi people of the Guatemalan cloud forests. Each small candle burns for 1-1 1/2hours. The holder is made by the people of Chenautla.

Feature: BC02A w/CC01A

Our lovely terracotta pieces are made from the riverbed clay of the Chenautla area of Guatemala. Families sculpt each piece by hand, dry it in the sun, paint it with a red clay slip, polish it, and then finally fire it. The firing process involves placing the objects on a grate above a pine bark fire with a covering of grass for 2-3 hours. The occasional unique black spot can sometimes be found on the piece and is a tribute to this ancient firing process.

The candles are made by Q'eqchi women in the workshops of Proyecto Eco Quetzal, a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing environmental and social issues in rural Guatemala. The candles are made from the seed of the Arrayan tree, a native of the cloud forests of Guatemala. The waxy seeds provide a natural alternative to synthetic candle making products. The seeds are collected and heated into wax by indigenous Mayan Q'eqchi women. This activity provides their families with an alternative source of income to support their subsitence farming. The income is also good for the cloud forest. With outside income they are less inclined to slash and burn the forest to grow crops.

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