Damascene at Lake Buena Vista Village is one of those wonderfully specific bits of Walt Disney World history that makes the old Village era feel like its own world. Before Disney Springs, this shopping district evolved through several identities over the years, but in 1975 it was still firmly “the Village,” and it offered guests something you’d never expect to stumble across on a vacation: a demonstration of an ancient metalworking art. In the May/June issue of Lake Buena Vista Village News, Disney highlighted Damascene and promoted an appearance by artisan Rufino Garcia at Arribas Brothers Toledo Arts—a reminder that the Village wasn’t just shopping, it was themed discovery.
The May/June issue of the Lake Buena Vista Village News states:
Rufino Garcia is more than unusual. He’s a one-of-a-kind. The only practicing Damascene artisan in the entire United States.
Damascene is an ancient art named for the city of its origin, middle-eastern Damascus. However, it was not until the Arab invaders brought Damascene to Toledo, Spain in 600 A.D. that the art of engraving specially forged steel with precious metals reached full flower. Toledo rapidly became famous throughout the Old World for its beautifully engraved sword hilts and weapon handles.
An image of Rufino Garcia as he demonstrates the art of Damascene.
Although its uses have expanded over the centuries into decorative plaques, precious jewelry, ornate family crests and un- usual home accessories, the Damascene process remains the same.
Special tools chisel the tiny lines and points into the black forged surface of the steel. Gold and silver are incrusted onto the metal. Then the entire surface is lightened, brightened and smoothed into its characteristic soft, dark lustre.
Rufino comes to us from Toledo, a fourth generation artisan of the delicate Damascene. His major project for the month of June, he tells us, will be a life size portrait of Walt Disney in intricately inlaid 24 karat gold. He also plans to complete some collector pieces celebrating America’s Bicentennial. You’ll find Rufino at work daily in the Arribas Brothers Toledo Arts.
Where Was the Arribas Brothers Toledo Arts at the Lake Buena Vista Village?
The shop was located in one of the larger buildings at the Village (look for number 28).
The building on the far left of the map is the World of Disney Store. The building (sort of) in the middle is the Marketplace Co-Op, and the hexagon-shaped building is the current Pin Traders.
In the close-up view, I’ve circled 28 so you can see where the Arribas Brothers shop was. The area marked 31 is the current home of the Basin Store. The current Crystal Arts by Arribas Brothers store is about where number 12 is, so they didn’t move too far.
Spirit of the Village
What I love about this story is how perfectly it captures the original spirit of the Village. Damascene at Lake Buena Vista Village wasn’t a thrill ride, a headline show, or a must-do attraction. It was an unexpected encounter with craftsmanship, presented in the middle of a retail space as if that was the most normal thing in the world. The newsletter’s description of the process is also a great snapshot of how Disney explained “old world” artistry to everyday guests: the dark forged surface, the tiny chiseled lines, and the careful inlay of gold and silver that creates that soft, dark luster. 
And Rufino Garcia’s presence makes it even more fascinating. The article describes him as a fourth-generation artisan from Toledo and emphasizes how rare his work was in the United States at the time, including his planned projects (like a life-size portrait of Walt Disney in 24-karat gold and Bicentennial collector pieces). That’s not just a fun historical footnote — it’s a reminder that Disney once treated “watching a master make something” as a meaningful part of the vacation experience. If you ever visited the Village in the 1970s (or if your family did), I’d love to know: do you remember demonstrations like this, or any shops that felt more like small museums than stores?
