Last updated Handcraft vendors in El Arenal, Hidalgo
Hidalgo (state) handcrafts and folk art are mostly made for local consumption rather than for collectors, although there have been efforts to promote this work to a wider market. Most are utilitarian and generally simply decorated, if decorated at all. The most important handcraft traditions are pottery, especially in the municipality of Huejutla and textiles, which can be found in diverse parts of the state. Most artisans are indigenous, with the Otomi populations of the Mezquital Valley being the most dominant. Other important handcrafts include basketry, metal and wood working.
Governor of Hidalgo, José Francisco Olvera Ruiz, touring an exhibition of Hidalgo handcrafts at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City in 2011
Handcrafts are not a primary economic activity of the state. Most artisans of the state are indigenous and live in socioeconomically marginalized areas, making mostly utilitarian items such as pottery and textiles for local markets.[1][2]
The main economic activities are mining and the making of pulque, which has influenced the development of the state’s handcrafts. The maguey plant from which pulque is made, is also the source for ixtle fiber. However, mining has not yielded a large industry in the working of gold and silver, which instead has been worked in other parts of Mexico, such as Mexico City and Guadalajara.[2]
However, more recently the state government has implemented a program to protect, develop and promote its traditional handcrafts through the training of artisans, creating sales outlets, competitions for state artisans and registration of particular handcraft traditions.[1] In 2011, the state and the Museo de Arte Popular held a special exhibit of Hidalgo handcrafts in Mexico City.[3] Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto presented handcrafts from the state during a state visit to France in 2015, which included embroidered items from Tenango de Doria.[4]Pachuca is home to the Casa de Artesanías Hidarte, which is an outlet for the major handcraft traditions of the state. These include bells from Tlahuelompa, miniature wooden instruments from Ixmiquilpan, basketry from the Mezquital Valley, brass from Tepojaco, copper from Tizapán, human figures and more of obsidian from Nopalillo, various textiles included embroidered wares, silver and leaver work from various parts of the state.[5]
Regional cultures
Wood items inlaid with shell from Ixmiquilpan
The state of Hidalgo is divided into five cultural and geographic regions:the Mezquital Valley, La Huasteca Hidalguense, La Sierra Tepehua, La Sierra and Altiplanicie Pulquera.[5][6] Three of these are particularly noted for their handcraft styles. The Mezquital Valley is the center of the state Otomi population, the most numerous indigenous group.[2] The crafts of this valley are characterized by this ethnicity, as well as the vegetation of the semi-arid area. Most are made for local use with a number conserving pre-Hispanic techniques and designs. Textiles are made on backstrap looms, with indigenous designs which had magical-religious meanings. Another indigenous handcraft is the working of stiff fibers such as those from the maguey and lechuguilla plants to make bags, nets and some clothing items. Basketry is made with reeds and palm fronds, with cooking utensils made from wood.[5] The city of Ixmiquilpan is the center of the Otomi population and is its main handcraft production center.[7]
The Hidalgo part of the Huasteca region has subtropical vegetation, with an abundance of water in rivers and springs and almost no urban areas. The indigenous population here is Nahua, who have conserved many of their customs, including handcrafts techniques and designs. These crafts tend to be utilitarian rather than decorative making comals, other cooking vessels, fish traps, candles, etc., generally for domestic use. Most of these are made by women in the home, especially embroidered textiles, which are worn as part of ethnic identity.[5]
The Tepehua region is located in the higher mountainous areas of the Sierra Alta and Sierra Gorda. Most of the population is mestizo with a sizable Tepehua indigenous community, with handcrafts that are both utilitarian and decorative. Motifs tend to be a mix of indigenous with European.[5]
Pottery
White clay pieces by Nicolas Vita Hernandez of Chililco, Huejutla
Ceramics production is local and primarily for local, domestic use, rather than for collectors of Mexican folk art. This include mostly unglazed wares such as those for the storage and cooking of food, for pulque, water jugs, comals, flower pots and gourd-shaped bowls called apiloles, along with construction materials such as floor and roof tiles.[2] Ceramic techniques are basic and non-industrial, with most shaped by hand and fired outdoors over an open fire, or occasionally in a family kiln.[2][8]
The municipality of Huejutla is home to the state’s best known pottery traditions. One of these is a white clay, unglazed, with sepia or black painted decorations and another is ochre colored unglazed pieces typically painted with white (sometimes with gray or black) lines to create flora and avian designs.[2][6] These are used to make storage and serving containers for liquids and food, animal figures, candle holders, whistles and more.[5][6] Both of these are centered mostly in the Huastec communiityof Chililco, but are also made in the nearby communities Macuxtepetla, Oxtomal y Tepexititla. Many of the traditional design elements have meanings, such as wavy lines for water and an “s” shape for the constellation Gemini.[5]
Other communities also have distinctive pottery designs and traditions. Chapatongo makes jars and jugs for water, baked only once and undecorated except for naturally discolorations which naturally happen when they are fired. San Pedro de las Ollas has a small production of water jugs and flower pots distinguished with spiral motifs in black over a polished red background. Tulancingo still has some production of majolica style pottery but it has degenerated.[2] In addition, utilitarian pottery is produced in Alfajayucan, Huasca de Ocampo and Metztitlán.[2][5][6]
Textiles
Backstrap loom with partially-finished piece at an exhibition of Hidalgo textilesSkirt and embroidered blouse by Elena Hernandez Bautista of Santa Teresa Yahualica, Hidalgo
The making of textiles is more widespread in the state than the making of pottery.[2] It is principally done by women, who both weave and embroider.[8] The most common fibers are cotton and wool, as well as the native ixtle, which is derived from the maguey plant. The working of cotton was introduced in the pre Hispanic period for the making of tribute items, with wool introduced by the Spanish.[2]
Cotton and wool are usually used to make clothing items (dresses, shirts, pants, sashes, quezquemitls) along with tablecloths, carrying bags and rugs, principally in the Huasteca region, the Mezquital Valley and Tulancingo.[2][8] The most common weaving technique is with the backstrap loom, used principally to make sashes and carrying bags, but other items such as quexquemitls are made with these as well.[6]
The quexquemitl is a distinctive feature of Otomi dress. Traditional women’s dress consists of it, a blouse, a wrap skirt held in place with a wool sash. Traditionally these are woven on backstrap looms and are embroidered with wool, cotton and sometimes acrylic thread. The embroidered designs are traditional but the meanings have mostly been lost. Traditional dress is disappearing in the state, more so for men than for women.[2]
Tenango de Doria (Acaxochitlán) is known for its cross stitch embroidery, making sashes and other garments. However, the artisans here are best known for a style of blouse called tenangos, embroidered with a variety of animals and flowers in various colors. The town hosts an annual embroidery competition, with categories for table items, blouses and more.[6][8]
Metztitlán is also known for cross-stitched items such as tablecloths, cushions and quexquemetls. In Mapethé (Cardonal), they make Persian style knotted rugs.[5]
Ixtle is a native fiber extracted from maguey leaves, and its particularly worked in the Mezquital Valley and other semi-arid areas. Most of this fiber is rough and used to make rope, mats, carrying bags and a head covering called an ayate.[2][6][8] However the finest ixtle thread is used to make garments. In the colonial period it substituted for linen for vestments for priests.[6] Today it is still used to make finer ayates, with women who can make the best ixtle goods having prestige.[2] A similar fiber is extracted from a plant called the lechuguilla for similar purposes.[2][8] In Ixmiquilpan, the cooperative Rä Dni Rä Batha. (La Flor del Valle)[5][8] and Huejutla make ayates and bags.[7]
Basketry
Birdcage in form of a cathedral on display at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City
Basketry is still an important activity in the state, making items from willow branches, reeds and palm fronds.[2] Items can be dyed or painted in bright colors, either using natural pigments or acrylics.[8]
Palm fronds are used to make hats, petates, and petacas (handleless boxes used for storage) fans for starting fires, as well as baskets and toys.[2][8] They are used to make traditional sombreros called garambulleros, named after a local fruit.[6] One traditional toy is woven into the shape of a rooster, which is decorated with brightly dyed feathers. This and other toys are made in the town of Naxthey, which also makes palm and ixtle items for carrying and storage.[2][8]
Reeds, whole and split, are used to make baskets of various types, flutes, toys (especially small cars) and bird cages.[6] These birdcages are used for both pets and livestock and can be natural or in bright colors.[8]
Willow branches are worked in Ixmilquilpan to make baskets, especially for tortillas, and rattles in the shape of doves.[8]
Other important basketry communities include Huautla (baskets, tortilla holders and sombreros), Metztitlán, which makes items from palm fronds as well as plastic strips and Alfajayucan (sombreros).[5][7]
Metalworking
Bell cast by Jose Luis Greez Nieto of Tizapan, Zacualtipan, Hidalgo
One metal that is worked is wrought iron, mostly for utilitarian items. In the communities of El Santuario and Mapethé, they made scrapers for maguey leaves, blades for plows, hoes and blades for scythes, knives, machetes and more.[2][5] More iron is worked in Huasca de Ocampo and Molango.[7]
Copper and bronze are worked in other communities. Tizapán (Zacualtipán) is noted for its copperwares, which include pots, large pans, jars, vases, trays and sets for coffee and tea, as well as similar items in miniature. Tlahuelompa (ZacualtipánI) is noted for work in copper and bronze, especially the making of quality bells, done in various sizes. Their decoration and sound is unique to the area.[5]
While it was never developed during the colonial period, there is some silver work done currently in Pachuca.[7]
Other handcrafts
Various musical instruments such as huapangueras, jaranas, violins, drums and flutes all handmade by artisans such as Margarito Mendoza Delgadillo, Anacleto Zolueta Olivares and Juan Torres Maria for a temporary exhibit dedicated to Hidalgo at the Museo de Arte Popular, Mexico CityObsidian plate and pestle by Victor Lopez Pelcastre of Nopalillo, Hidalgo
Most wood is worked for local consumption such as the carpentry activities that take place in locations such as Texkedó, Gundhó, El Delfay, Wacri and Agua Limpia.[2] Much of the wood used is from local forests, especially pine and oyamel fir. Since the colonial period, there has been an industry here making furniture, arches, folding screens, doors and more, with one important product being furniture in Spanish colonial style.[8] Communities noted for this work include Jaltocán and Metztitlán.[5] Smaller objects are made as well. The community of Nith, in Ixmiquilpan is known for the making of musical instruments, picture frames and small boxes inlaid with mother-of-pearl . Other inlaid objects are also made in Ixmiquilpan, mostly for decoration. Molongo makes guitars, and in Tenango, wood is used to make utilitarian objects such as spoons and handles.[6][8]
Certain items are made in relation to religious and other celebrations such as fireworks, flowered frames to decorate church doors, candles and flower garlands. In Hidalgo, the decorative items generally are distinguished by local patterns.[2] Jaltocán makes traditional fireworks and frames for these in the shapes of bulls (toritos) and castle (castillos).[5]Actopan makes fireworks as well.[7]
Stone work includes decorative and functional pieces, working primarily with sandstone and marble as well as obsidian. Towns noted for this work include Actopan, Alfajayucan, Huasca de Ocampo and Huichapan.[7]
Leather is worked in Zacualitpan, which makes shoes, as well as in Molango.[7]
Hidalgo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Hidalgo, is one of the 32 states which constitute the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 84 municipalities and its capital city is Pachuca de Soto.
The Otomi are an indigenous people of Mexico inhabiting the central Mexican Plateau (Altiplano) region.
Ixmiquilpan is a city and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico. It is located on the Mexico City/Nuevo Laredo Highway at km 170 in the central west part of the state of Hidalgo. The town of Ixmiquilpan is noted for its parish church, Church of San Miguel Arcángel, which contains a large series of murals done in the 16th century by native artists depicting Eagle and Jaguar warriors in battle, along with other pre-Hispanic imagery.
Mexican handcrafts and folk art is a complex collection of items made with various materials and intended for utilitarian, decorative or other purposes. Some of the items produced by hand in this country include ceramics, wall hangings, vases, furniture, textiles and much more. In Mexico, both crafts created for utilitarian purposes and folk art are collectively known as “artesanía” as both have a similar history and both are a valued part of Mexico's national identity. Mexico's artesanía tradition is a blend of indigenous and European techniques and designs. This blending, called “mestizo” was particularly emphasized by Mexico's political, intellectual and artistic elite in the early 20th century after the Mexican Revolution toppled Porfirio Díaz’s French-style and modernization-focused presidency. Today, Mexican artesanía is exported and is one of the reasons why tourists are attracted to the country. However, competition from manufactured products and imitations from countries like China have caused problems for Mexico’s artisans.
The textiles of Mexico have a long history. The making of fibers, cloth and other textile goods has existed in the country since at least 1400 BCE. Fibers used during the pre-Hispanic period included those from the yucca, palm and maguey plants as well as the use of cotton in the hot lowlands of the south. After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the Spanish introduced new fibers such as silk and wool as well as the European foot treadle loom. Clothing styles also changed radically. Fabric was produced exclusively in workshops or in the home until the era of Porfirio Díaz, when the mechanization of weaving was introduced, mostly by the French. Today, fabric, clothes and other textiles are both made by craftsmen and in factories. Handcrafted goods include pre-Hispanic clothing such as huipils and sarapes, which are often embroidered. Clothing, rugs and more are made with natural and naturally dyed fibers. Most handcrafts are produced by indigenous people, whose communities are concentrated in the center and south of the country in states such as Mexico State, Oaxaca and Chiapas. The textile industry remains important to the economy of Mexico although it has suffered setback due to competition by cheaper goods produced in countries such as China, India and Vietnam.
Museo Universitario de Artes Populares María Teresa Pomar is a museum dedicated to Mexico's handcrafts and folk art tradition, called “artesanía.” It is part of the University of Colima in the city of Colima, founded by artesanía collector and promoter María Terea Pomar. It contains one of the most important collections of its type in Mexico, covering traditions from around the country as well as the artesanía and traditions of the state of Colima.
San Pablito is a small town located on the side of the Guajalote Mountain in the Sierra Norte de Puebla mountain region in central east Mexico. It belongs to the Pahuatlán municipality of the state of Puebla. Culturally it is dominated by the Otomi although it is part of the La Huasteca region.
The handcrafts of Guerrero include a number of products which are mostly made by the indigenous communities of the Mexican state of Guerrero. Some, like pottery and basketry, have existed relatively intact since the pre Hispanic period, while others have gone through significant changes in technique and design since the colonial period. Today, much of the production is for sale in the state's major tourism centers, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Taxco, which has influence the crafts’ modern evolution. The most important craft traditions include amate bark painting, the lacquerware of Olinalá and nearby communities and the silverwork of Taxdo.
The Mezquital Valley is a series of small valleys and flat areas located in Central Mexico, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Mexico City, located in the western part of the state of Hidalgo. It is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, with altitudes between 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) and 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) above sea level. It is one of Mexico's main semi-arid/area regions, whose native vegetation is dominated by cactus species, mesquite trees, and maguey with pine and oak trees in the highest elevations. It is considered to be part of the northern extension of Mesoamerica, with one major archeological site, Tula, which was the main city of the Toltecs, an important influence for the later Aztecs. However, from the Aztec period to the 20th century, it was sparsely populated and very poor, with one main indigenous ethnicity, the Otomis. In the 20th century, irrigation works were created to take advantage of the water in the Tula River, along with wastewater drained from the Valley of Mexico for agriculture. Today the valley produces various grains and produce, including one-quarter of all green chili peppers grown in Mexico.
Oaxaca handcrafts and folk art is one of Mexico's important regional traditions of its kind, distinguished by both its overall quality and variety. Producing goods for trade has been an important economic activity in the state, especially in the Central Valleys region since the pre-Hispanic era which the area laid on the trade route between central Mexico and Central America. In the colonial period, the Spanish introduced new raw materials, new techniques and products but the rise of industrially produced products lowered the demand for most handcrafts by the early 20th century. The introduction of highways in the middle part of the century brought tourism to the region and with it a new market for traditional handcrafts. Today, the state boasts the largest number of working artisans in Mexico, producing a wide range of products that continue to grow and evolve to meet changing tastes in the market.
Michoacán handcrafts and folk art is a Mexican regional tradition centered in the state of Michoacán, in central/western Mexico. Its origins traced back to the Purépecha Empire, and later to the efforts to organize and promote trades and crafts by Vasco de Quiroga in what is now the north and northeast of the state. The state has a wide variety of over thirty crafts, with the most important being the working of wood, ceramics, and textiles. A number are more particular to the state, such as the creation of religious images from corn stalk paste, and a type of mosaic made from dyed wheat straw on a waxed board. Though there is support for artisans in the way of contests, fairs, and collective trademarks for certain wares, Michoacán handcrafts lack access to markets, especially those catering to tourists.
Basketry of Mexico has its origins far into the pre Hispanic period, pre-dating ceramics and the domestication of fire. By the time the Spanish arrived, there were a number of indigenous forms, a number of which are still made today. These and products that the Spanish introduced form the combined tradition that remains today. Like other Mexican handcrafts, sales to tourists and collectors is important, but basketry is not as popular as other handcrafts. Basketry techniques and materials vary from region to region depending on the vegetation available, with important traditions in Sonora, State of Mexico, Michoacán, Veracruz, Oaxaca and the Yucatán Peninsula.
Guanajuato handcrafts and folk art are mostly of European origin although some indigenous work still survives in some communities. The most notable craft is the making of glazed mayolica pottery, followed by handmade traditional toys of various materials, especially a hard paper mache called cartonería. While handcrafts are not a large an industry here as in some other states, it does have several major handcraft markets which sell to tourists and foreign residents. Other handcraft traditions include wrought iron work, tin and glass, wood carving and leather working.
The Mexican State of Mexico produces various kinds of handcrafted items. While not as well documented as the work of other states, it does produce a number of notable items from the pottery of Metepec, the silverwork of the Mazahua people and various textiles including handwoven serapes and rebozos and knotted rugs. There are seventeen recognized handcraft traditions in the state, and include both those with pre Hispanic origins to those brought over by the Spanish after the Conquest. As the state industrializes and competition from cheaper goods increases, handcraft production has diminished. However, there are a number of efforts by state agencies to promote these traditions both inside and outside of Mexico.
Chiapas handcrafts and folk art is most represented with the making of pottery, textiles and amber products, though other crafts such as those working with wood, leather and stone are also important. The state is one of Mexico's main handcraft producers, with most artisans being indigenous women, who dominate the production of pottery and textiles. The making of handcrafts has become economically and socially important in the state, especially since the 1980s, with the rise of the tourist market and artisans’ cooperatives and other organizations. These items generally cannot compete with commercially made goods, but rather are sold for their cultural value, primarily in San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Puebla handcrafts and folk art is handcraft and folk art from the Mexican state of Puebla. The best-known craft of Puebla is Talavera pottery—which is the only mayolica style pottery continuously produced in Mexico since it was introduced in the early colonial period. Other notable handcraft traditions include trees of life from Izúcar de Matamoros and amate (bark) paper made by the very small town of San Pablito in the north of the state. The state also makes glass, Christmas tree ornaments, indigenous textiles, monumental clocks, baskets, and apple cider.
Jalisco handcrafts and folk art are noted among Mexican handcraft traditions. The state is one of the main producers of handcrafts, which are noted for quality. The main handcraft tradition is ceramics, which has produced a number of known ceramicists, including Jorge Wilmot, who introduced high fire work into the state. In addition to ceramics, the state also makes blown glass, textiles, wood furniture including the equipal chair, baskets, metal items, piteado and Huichol art.
Tlaxcala handcrafts and folk art is that which comes from the smallest state in Mexico, located in the center-east of the country. Its best-known wares are the "canes of Apizaco", sawdust carpets and the making of Saltillo-style serapes. However, there are other handcraft traditions, such as the making of pottery, including Talavera type wares, cartoneria, metalworking and stone working. The state supports artisans through the activities of the Fideicomiso Fondo de la Casa de las Artesanía de Tlaxcala
Teotlalpan was the pre-Columbian name of a region in the north of Valley of Mexico comprising what is today the Mezquital Valley in the state of Hidalgo and adjacent areas in the State of Mexico. The region was one of two regions settled by Otomí people, the other being the region around Jilotepec and Tula, Hidalgo. In the 18th century the name of the main part of the region came to be known as Mezquital.
Tenango is a style of embroidery which originated in the Tenango de Doria municipality in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is a commercialized version of traditional Otomi embroidery, which was developed in the 1960s in response to an economic crisis. It is estimated at over 1,200 artisans practice the craft in Tenango de Doria and the neighborhing municipality of San Bartolo Tutotepec.
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