The last Mexican bladesmiths

[Legendary_Jarl]

When you think about Mexican knives 'worthless tourist junk' probably comes to mind. Rightly so. Perhaps most of the knife-like objects that have been sold in the past in Mexico were junk. But that is certainly NOT the case with these two knife making houses: Ojeda in Sayula, Jalisco and Aragon in Oaxaca. They come from several generations of bladesmiths. Aragon even tracks his ancestry to the 1700's. Both houses are very highly regarded by the Mexican military & knife enthusiasts alike. Alas, there aren't many of those in Mexico. At least not as many as in the US even on a per capita basis. Stupid government regulations and a widespread anti-knife culture(can't even carry SAK without worry) have slowly led the Mexican knife manufacturing industry to the grave. These two last houses still survive. But, I'm afraid Covid19 could be the final nail in their coffin: No local or international tourism in their areas, no one sees the knives, no sales. That's why I thought I'd share with you their websites and some pictures of their work. Aragon never before considered getting a website or social media and he finally did this year. What does that tell you? Aragon makes functional pieces including knives and machetes that have been used by the Mexican military, many come engraved with native Mexican designs. Ojeda just makes incredible pieces of art that also happen to be excellent knives. Many are made using cutting edge materials and heat treatment techniques(Mr. Ojeda was the first to introduce Stainless Steel in the area for example). I'll leave you with some pictures and their websites. Hopefully some of you will be interested.

Ojeda: https://www.cuchillosojeda.com.mx

Aragón: https://m.facebook.com/cuchillos.aragon/

Btw, when you see the prices on their websites that's in Mexican pesos. Convert by dividing by 20.

 

[3fifty7]

If you are having a discussion about knives made in Mexico, I believe J.D.Ware has a place at the table. He is a knife maker in the Yucatan, who may still be or was a member here some years ago. He specializes in coin knives and traditional folders and offers a few fixed blades. Here is one of my favorite navajas of his.

 

[Winston Allen]

When you think about Mexican knives 'worthless tourist junk' probably comes to mind. Rightly so. Perhaps most of the knife-like objects that have been sold in the past in Mexico were junk. But that is certainly NOT the case with these two knife making houses: Ojeda in Sayula, Jalisco and Aragon in Oaxaca. They come from several generations of bladesmiths. Aragon even tracks his ancestry to the 1700's. Both houses are very highly regarded by the Mexican military & knife enthusiasts alike. Alas, there aren't many of those in Mexico. At least not as many as in the US even on a per capita basis. Stupid government regulations and a widespread anti-knife culture(can't even carry SAK without worry) have slowly led the Mexican knife manufacturing industry to the grave. These two last houses still survive. But, I'm afraid Covid19 could be the final nail in their coffin: No local or international tourism in their areas, no one sees the knives, no sales. That's why I thought I'd share with you their websites and some pictures of their work. Aragon never before considered getting a website or social media and he finally did this year. What does that tell you? Aragon makes functional pieces including knives and machetes that have been used by the Mexican military, many come engraved with native Mexican designs. Ojeda just makes incredible pieces of art that also happen to be excellent knives. Many are made using cutting edge materials and heat treatment techniques(Mr. Ojeda was the first to introduce Stainless Steel in the area for example). I'll leave you with some pictures and their websites. Hopefully some of you will be interested.

Ojeda: https://www.cuchillosojeda.com.mx

Aragón: https://m.facebook.com/cuchillos.aragon/

Btw, when you see the prices on their websites that's in Mexican pesos. Convert by dividing by 20.

These are just incredibly beautiful knives.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Those are beautiful knives. Thanks for letting us know about these Mexican blademakers.

 

[L.A. Saiga]

wow! Awesome (thank you)

 

[shane45-1911]

Functional art - outstanding.

Thanks for sharing.