Death Cart – Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.

Horacio Valdez was born in 1929 in Dixon, New Mexico and died in 1992 in Apodaca, New Mexico. A carpenter for twenty-five years, he suffered a nearly fatal job accident in 1974, during which his right hand was crushed. It was then that Valdez began to carve, "just to pass the time." He was fond of saying, "No hay mal, que por bien no venga" (Nothing bad ever happens without resulting in some good). A self-taught carver and painter, Valdez – who recalled being initiated as a member of the Penitente brotherhood the day following his first carving – was a devoutly religious man. Among the prolific artist’s many carvings were more than 250 crucifixes.