AurumEve Travels Studio Visit: Arte en Coco

Walking along the streets and neighborhoods of Panajachel, we couldn’t help but be excitedly overwhelmed by unique designers and patterns that stood apart from the already unique and beautiful pieces in the area.

Arte en Coco is one of them.

Victor’s sister was in the shop when we came by and was kind enough to go down the street and ask Victor to come over to show us his pieces and tell us more about his work.

It’s been about 6 years since Victor started Arte En Coco in Panajachel, down the street from Calle Santander.

Upon first glance, I thought the pieces were laser cut on coconut, but Victor explained that he does not laser cut his pieces, and actually uses a jeweler’s saw to create each piece!

When I asked Victor why he does this type of work- and why coconut he told me that he finds coconut to be such a great material: as it can be recycled, there’s an abundance of coconuts in Pana that go to waste, and of course his two favorite benefits: he can eat the coconut, drink the water and continue to use and recycle by making the jewelry. Using coconuts is also environmentally sound and highly cost effective, as trucks will have coconuts falling off of their load, but will not turn back around to pick up the coconuts that tumble away. Victor does triple duty by removing the coconuts from the street, eating – and designing beautiful pieces with them!

There are likely over a hundred designs that Victor has included just at today’s display, and many more in production! When I asked which are the most popular designs, Victor quickly told me animals, saints and Guatemalan emblems are the top three by far.

We also talked about volume and large orders. Because everything is handmade, and Victor is committed to keeping it this way, he does not make a large volume at once, and buyers and fans must be patient in this regard. It takes Victor about 10-15 days to make about 50 pieces because his process also includes drying the coconut as well as polishing and sanding.

As you can see there are countless designs and we truly admire the ingenuity and commitment Victor has in creating environmentally sustainable and creative pieces for every taste, style and following.

A Quick Hello from Victor!

Encantado de conocerlo Victor y Arte en Coco!