The Artist

Louis David Valenzuela

Yoeme / Yaqui Woodcarver

I was born on New Year’s Day, 1963, in Eloy, Arizona, and raised in Barrio Libre of South Tucson. I am one of two brothers and seven sisters. I am an enrolled member of the Yoeme Tribe and remain actively involved in Yoeme ceremonial life.

My early artistic training began through mentorship. As a child, I apprenticed under Hispanic artist Arturo Montoya, who introduced me to Yoeme color palettes, form, and discipline. Through him, I learned not only technique, but responsibility—to the work and to the community it comes from.

Carving as Responsibility

I began carving pascola masks in the late 1980s, after years of painting Yoeme themes on wood and canvas and creating figures taught to me through earlier mentorship. I learned mask carving primarily from Jesús Acuña at New Pascua on the Yoeme Reservation.

Over time, carving became more than a practice. It became a way of staying accountable—to culture, to family, and to myself.

There are few Yoeme carvers on this side of the border. When the work disappears, knowledge disappears with it. That reality carries weight.