Taller Jesús Obrero (Jesus the Worker Workshop)

Soyapango, San Salvador

Jesús Obrero was started in February 1991 by six companions that were struggling to survive in the chaos of the Salvadoran Civil War. It would be another year until the peace accords would be signed and the country would begin to rebuild itself, but this group had already established something that would help them get back on their feet after living and fighting in a war zone for over ten years. 

The group has since grown to include twenty

five members and is now a stable and successful cooperative. They have worked hard over the years to solidify themselves to be able to work efficiently as a team. Each piece they produce is a collaborative work which passes through the hands of a designer, carpenter, painter and varnisher to reach its finished state. The result for the group is a unified pride for their impressive body of work. This divided and streamlined process also allows artisans to work from their homes. Many workers choose to do this as it saves them time, transportation costs and allows them to care for their families.

Painter Rosa Liliam Alfaro Rayos describes how this relationship has impacted the group and herself: “In the case of the cooperative, it has given us the opportunity to work. CIS also helps us when they order from us. This is how we have income to support our family econimically.”