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Guánica.- Among melodious birdsong and the blaring of AM radio that always fills the workshop, we interviewed veteran artisan Wilzen “Cuco” Pérez González.

His creative space is located at the back of his home in downtown Guánica, where the pieces of wood in every corner prove his work as a carver, a craft to which he has dedicated himself for more than 40 years.

“Since I was little I always liked working with wood, making things. But never, ever in my life did I think I was going to be an artisan,” said Cuco, as he prefers to be called, who began creating coffee strainers and then dedicated himself to making wooden machetes with environmental, cultural, and social messages.

According to what this self-taught artisan told us, after finishing high school, he spent two years in the Army and when he returned, he worked at a department store. However, he decided to start two businesses of his own: a jewelry store and a pizzeria. But after suffering two major robberies at the jewelry store, he decided to sell both stores to dedicate himself completely to his craft.

Although he was already known for his expressive wooden machetes, Cuco found his personal stamp after carving the Three Wise Men riding a horse-drawn carriage. Thus, he became the only artist in Puerto Rico who recreates traditional religious characters in this way.

“Puerto Rico is the only country where the Three Wise Men are sold twelve months of the year. I chose to do them in a carriage, because I wanted to do something different,” says the septuagenarian, who has made pieces for important commercial firms, as well as for well-known figures on the Island.

“I love the work. Success is found when you love what you do; you have to do it with love, as if it were your own child,” says Cuco, whose talent has led him to present his work in countries such as the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Colombia, Spain and the United States. In fact, he has been invited on five occasions to the Canary Islands to exhibit pieces at the Festival Bienal Tricontinental, where one of his pieces, “Nacimiento Viviente,” is on display in a museum. His work as a craftsman has also been recognized locally, having won several awards.

For more information about Cuco’s work, call 787-593-1469 or 787-821-2442.