Zoilo Cajigas Sotomayor
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Zoilo Cajigas Sotomayor (June 28, 1858 – 1962) was a Puerto Rican santero, a folk artist who makes religious statuettes of saints and biblical figures known as santos. He was known for his piety and adherence to traditional Hispanic folk art methods. Many examples of his work exist in the Museo de los Santos de Palo in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was the subject of a 1954 Division of Community Education film directed by Amilcar Tirado titled El Santero.[1]
Zoilo Cajigas was born in Aguada, Puerto Rico in 1858 and served as an altar boy at his local church. The film about Cajigas' life depicts him as an ascetic who keeps to himself and creates his wood carved saints in prayerful solitude, although the film may have been partially fictionalized for dramatic effect.[2] His son, Eleno Cajigas Badillo followed in his father's footsteps and was also a santero. Zoilo Cajigas lived to be 110 years old and died in 1962.[1]