Josefina Aguilar Alcántara (1945–2026) began her artistic journey at age six, learning at the feet of her mother, Isaura Alcántara Díaz, who was the first in their village to shift from making utilitarian pots to decorative human figures, depicting everything from Frida Kahlo to religious saints and market scenes. By her early twenties, Josefina's distinct "muñecas" had garnered international acclaim, notably catching the eye of collector Nelson Rockefeller in 1975 and earning her first place in the 1977 Gran Premio de Arte Popular. Even after losing her sight to complications from diabetes in 2013, she famously continued to mold clay by "feeling the soul" of the earth, mentoring her children to ensure the Aguilar dynasty remains the gold standard of Oaxacan folk art. Her legacy endures through the generations of artists she shaped and the countless works that carry her spirit.