Piñatas de Juan Castillo
Who:
Juan J. Castillo Jr., 42
Where:
Tucson, Ariz.
DX:
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, 20 years
What:
A former building maintenance worker, Castillo enjoys creating festive
and fun piñatas for decoration or use at children’s birthday
parties. Fills requests from friends and family members and sells
them for $25 to $100, depending on complexity. Has made hundreds of
piñatas, including Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, SpongeBob, Barney,
Bart Simpson and a bobble-head Spiderman. Currently working on a traditional
Mexican piñata for his niece Paula’s 15th birthday.
How:
Uses balloons to build the character’s body and cardboard for
the arms and legs. Cuts newspaper strips with a paper cutter. Covers
the model with the help of a flour-water mixture that acts as glue.
Loss of strength in hands makes it difficult to grip pieces. Can only
apply two to three layers a day, because work has to be completely
dry before continuing the papier-mâché. Uses curled tissue
paper or colored felt to decorate. Takes two and a half weeks to two
and a half months. Goes into detail far beyond what’s available
in stores.
Juan says:
“My father used to make them for us when we were kids. One
time, he had blown up a balloon and put paper on it and what he did
was cut it in half. He kept one half and gave me the other half, just
to see what I would do. I ended up making a flower basket out of it.
From then on, just for fun, like a hobby, I just started making more.
It’s mostly for family members, birthday parties and for friends.
“Working with piñatas helps me keep my hands strong,
even though my thumb’s losing strength and I tend to drop things.
I work two hours at a time and rest. I use a paper cutter so I don’t
have to struggle with scissors.”
