Wilfredo’s foray into the world of metals goes back to his adolescence when his Bucaramanga relatives introduced him to the art of jewelry making. He initially delved into the soldering technique, which consists in cutting and melding diverse components to fashion rings, chains, and pendants from silver or gold. Although he subsequently pursued studies in automobile mechanics, a field linked to metals as well, his heart inclined towards the craft of jewelry.

For years, Wilfredo has been crafting jewelry by hand, alongside his partner, Merly Patricia Alzate. Together, they form a formidable duo, their personalities harmoniously complementing one another. Merly Patricia’s affinity lies in welding and shaping organic forms, such as flowers and leaves, while Wilfredo enjoys crafting geometric patterns and intricate pieces. Merly Patricia undertakes the welding process, followed by Wilfredo’s meticulous finishing touches.

Wilfredo holds his wife Merly Patricia in high spiritual esteem, attributing her deep wisdom to her rural upbringing. A significant turning point arrived when they sought spiritual guidance and encountered an individual well-versed in the Yoruba religion. It was during this time that Wilfredo was introduced to Ogun, the Yoruba deity safeguarding blacksmiths, often depicted brandishing a metal sword. For Wilfredo, meeting Ogun was some sort of revelation. His affinity for metals through jewelry making, auto mechanics, and crafting copper pans gained newfound clarity. He recognized himself as a son of Ogun, embodying gifts that had manifested from an early age, although initially unnoticed. Moreover, he rekindled his ancestral ties, acknowledging that his grandfather came from Africa, akin to Ogun’s origins. He felt the need to ask for permission and hold the name of his deity close, so he named his jewelry shop after Ogun, looking for the deity’s guidance and protection.

Besides helping Wilfredo to meet Ogun, Merly Patricia also acquainted him with the tradition of crafting copper pans. Her family cooks the popular Valle del Cauca dessert, manjar blanco, every December without exception. The concoction involves slow cooking milk with sugar and liquified rice, and consistent stirring until the pan’s bottom becomes visible. Copper pans are optimal for this recipe, which recently became Wilfredo’s new discovery and craft.

Among his earliest metal creations, apart from jewelry, was a miniature representation of the manjar blanco process. He meticulously fashioned a diminutive copper pan and a miniature cagüinga, wooden paddle used for stirring, placing them within a totumo, the calabash used for serving the dessert. Today, he crafts larger decorative or cooking pans from copper sheets, expertly shaped using a ball peen hammer. He works on a trunk previously fashioned in the concave shape of the pans. Each pan necessitates up to a thousand hammer blows and, once they are shaped, Wilfredo finishes them with different textures or polishes. Wilfredo also conducts workshops, offering individuals the opportunity to create their own copper pans. Should you venture to Loma de la Cruz, Cali, to admire his masterpieces or forge your own copper pan, you’ll encounter a man whose destiny was etched in metal, a passion cultivated since and early age.