At the same time, Victor's artistic trajectory is unusual in many ways. He is a native of Miahuatlán, a pueblo far more distant than the Central Valley craft villages from which contest participants generally come. And he was not raised within a family craft tradition.

Victor learned about FOFA/MEAPO's August, 2011 contest from a young woman who visited the workshop in which he worked. Because time was too short to begin a new piece, Victor decided to submit a carving in pochote wood that he was preparing for the annual, state-sponsored Benito Juárez competition. He had won a 2nd place cash prize in this competition in 2010. Victor was attracted by FOFA's award of a scholarship to art school to enhance his technique. "This gave me an intention, a purpose," he noted.

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