In Pictures: Facing the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/22
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/21
In Pictures: Sinkholes around the world
In Pictures: What happened to the green revolution in Iran?
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/20
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Master maskmaker Manuel Horta of Tocuaro, Mexico, models a 'Christmas demon' mask worn during a traditional dance that acts out a struggle between angels trying to help, and devils trying to hinder, shepherds seeking the baby Jesus. This region of Mexico is known as a center of artisanry, with towns in the region specializing in different crafts. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
Mr. Horta puts the finishing touches on another devil mask that features five coiling snakes. Horta's family has been making fine masks for generations. They sell for hundreds of dollars. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
A finished mask hangs on the wall of maskmaker Juan Cierra's home in Tocuaro. Maskmakers in the village might take more than a month to carve and point a single mask. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
The rocky and crowded island of Janitzio perches in Lake Pátzcuaro, in the state of Michoacán, in southwestern Mexico. The lake is surrounded by specialist artisan villages. The situation dates back to the 1500s, when Roman Catholic bishop Vasco de Quiroga set up educational and cultural cooperatives to empower the locals, drawing on their pre-Hispanic traditions. The cooperatives are said to have been modeled after the Utopia envisioned by Sir Thomas More. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
Herlinda Morales Geronimo prepares a kiln to fire candleholders and elaborate, 11-candle candelabras in her workshop in the village of Santa Fe de la Laguna. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
Hundreds of clay mugs dry in the sun before they're fired. Ms. Geronimo makes and sells them to tourists who come through Santa Fe de la Laguna. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
Sunlight filters through the roof as Luis Luna (in hat) watches artisans heat 20-kilogram (44-pound) ingots of copper in Santa Clara del Cobre. The copper will be pounded into rods, then bent into bases or handles for large copper pots. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
A Santa Clara del Cobre artisan uses a huge mechanical hammer to shape a red-hot copper ingot. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
Another artisan hammers a pattern into a copper bowl. It may take hundreds of thousands of blows to complete the design of a large piece. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
A detailed look at the finish work being done on a large copper bowl. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
Mr. Cierra (r.) and his son carve masks from blocks of pine outside their home in Tocuaro. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
Cierra works on a mask. When sales slump, as they have been recently, the artisans travel north to toil at work that has little to do with their skills. 'We have to put food on the table,' says fellow craftsman Horta. Tony Avelar/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
In Pictures: Facing the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/22
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/21
In Pictures: Sinkholes around the world
In Pictures: What happened to the green revolution in Iran?
In Pictures: Sandy: Chronicle of an unrelenting storm
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/20
In Pictures: Weather extremes 2013
In Pictures: The Israeli separation barrier: A West Bank wall
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