Tepache vessels are known today as elaborately decorated ceramic vessels produced for the tourist trade by the potters of San José de Gracia, a village in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The vessels were first created by the potter Elisa Madrigal Martínez, who began making them in the 1930s after she had moved from Carapan to San José de Gracia; up until that time, the potters … [Read more...] about Tepache Vessel with Three Calla Lilies on Lid: Researched by Sarah Teel
Amate paper is a traditional form of bark paper that is believed to have been developed by the Maya during the Mesoamerican Classic period (250-900 CE). The making of amate paper is labor-intensive, and the ancient Mesoamericans likewise highly valued amate and even gave paper as tribute and as offerings to the gods. The paper was also made into ritual garments and into … [Read more...] about Amate Paper Wall Decoration: Researched by Josh Barry
Dolls are popular tourist-trade items throughout Mexico and northern Central America. The styles of the dolls have changed over the decades, with some adopting a more generic or international “stuffed toy” form; the dolls continue, however, to be adorned with traditional dress, and this has provided a valuable record of changes in these traditions over time. Some dolls are … [Read more...] about Mesoamerican Dolls: Researched by Ngozi Ekeke
Animalitos, along with the fantasy figures known Alebrijes, are Mexican folk art sculptures produced by the Zapotec culture artisans of the Oaxaca region. While these sculptures originated as folk art that people carved for amusement, in the 1980s the figures became popular in the tourist trade, and the Oaxacan artisans developed many different forms to appeal to visitors … [Read more...] about Zapotec Animalito Sculptures: Researched by Hannah Ferguson
The Mexican polychrome ceramic tradition known as “Talavera pottery” derived its name from the Spanish town of Talavera de la Reina, as the Spanish introduced pottery-making techniques such as the potter’s wheel and high-firing glazes to the Aztec and the Mixtec cultures of the Valley of Mexico in the 15th century. The Mestizo (mixed Native and Spanish heritage) potters who … [Read more...] about Talavera Pottery: Researched by Chaney Jewell and Jasmine Currey