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.
Petates from the state for sale at a fair in Mexico City
Evidence of art and handcraft production in the state dates back to about 300 BCE, with the earliest showing Olmec influence. In the 7th century, the Mezcala people established themselves in the region, introducing stone sculpture and ceramics, of Teotihuacan heritage.[1] The Aztecs conquered much of the region, with some handcraft production becoming important tribute items, for example, gold worked into pieces for nobility and priests.[2] After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, European techniques, designs and materials were introduced, which drastically changed how a number of products were made, and some indigenous products disappeared completely.[3][2]
Many of the colonial period handcrafts, such as palm frond, metal and basket making, continue to the present day, buoyed to a large extent by tourism. In 1988 the state established an agency to preserve and preserve Guerrero's culture, including its handcrafts.[2]
Overview
The handcrafts of the state reflect its socio-economic situation.[4] The handcraft tradition is important not only culturally, but also because it provides much of the state's income, especially in small, isolated indigenous communities, which rely on it for most or all of its income.[5][4] For this reason, Guerrero's handcrafts show a strong indigenous nature, although European and even Asian influence can be seen in its aesthetics and techniques.[4]
Modern handcraft production in the past decades has been strongly influence by sales in the state's three main tourist centers, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Taxco. The main handcraft market within the state is Acapulco, both for goods made in Guerrero and other parts of the country. While there are locations selling high-quality wares, most are of low quality, especially those made from seashells. Because of the mix of cultural influences, past and present, some crafts, such as pottery, show a wide range of styles and decorative motifs.[4]
Craft types
Paintings
One of the state's better known crafts is the painting of images onto amate (bark) paper, done in Nahua communities such as Ameyaltepec, Maxela, Xalitla and San Agustin de las Flores.[6][4][7] One reason for its prominence is that it is very popular with tourists. It is popular with artisans as well, as the paintings yield a higher income than pottery.[4]
Although more colorful, the paintings are based on the sepia designs of certain traditional pottery, which in turn have roots in pre Hispanic codices. However, since it is a new craft, it is still evolving Initially the motifs were of animals and plants but then human figures began to appear, placed in scenes and landscapes. The amate paper is not made in the state of Guerrero, but rather it is from the state of Puebla, in particular from San Pablito in the Sierra Norte region.[4]
The paintings have become a characteristic of the state's handcraft tradition.[4] Painters have been commissioned to create murals both in Mexico and abroad. and a number have taken the work to canvas, but still mostly sold in tourist markets.[5][3][7]
Lacquerware
Lacquered boxes from Olinalá
Another important product is lacquerware, part of a larger Mesoamerican craft tradition. Most is produced in Olinalá, but there are also production in nearly Acapetlahuaya and Temalscacingo.[4] Lacquer work dates back to the pre Hispanic period, when it was used to preserve and decorate wood objects, gourds and more. It survives mostly intact, with changes only in decorative motifs through the colonial period to modern times. Until recently, most wood items were made from a fragrant species called linaloe, but over exploitation has made it scarce and expensive.[4]
While historically both chia seed oil and a waxy substance from an insect larva were both used, today only chia seed oil is used, mixed with mineral or vegetable pigments.[6] Most Guerrero lacquerware is distinguished by the use of a “scratch” (rayado) technique for decoration, although pieces with inlay or painted motifs are also made.[4] The rayado technique has its origins from Asian pieces brought by the Manila Galleon, but the current incarnation became popular in the 20th century.[2] The technique consists of two or more layers of lacquer of different colors. When the new layer is added on top of the old, it is scraped with a tool such as a quill before it is dried to expose the color underneath in areas. The designs appear to be in relief.[4] The color is generally over a base of red, white or black. The items that are lacquered today include boxes, chests, gourds.[6]
Silver and other metals
Silver set in Taxco
The working of silver and gold date from the pre Hispanic period, when these metals, especially gold, was an important tribute item. The metals were worked into ceremonial and decorative objects reserved for the nobility and priests.[2]
Today, the best known work of this type is the silver objects, especially jewelry, produced in the mountain town of Taxco, about three hours from Mexico City.[2][8] During the colonial period, the area was rich in silver, making one man, José de la Borda, particularly wealthy. However, the mines eventually dried up and the working of this metal was down to one old silversmith by 1931, when American William Spratling arrived. Believing that the handcrafting of silver should be done where the metal has a history, Spratling convinced two young gold smiths in Iguala to move to Taxco to help him open a shop. He also believed that the role of designers, was to “utilize and dignify” the material, which was a new ideal for craftsmen at the time. Spratling's shop was not only a success, he attracted apprentices who then went on to open their own shops, including noted artisans Antonio Castillo and Antonio Pineda. These new generations of silversmiths have also rescued a forgotten technique of combining different metals, which has a pre Hispanic origin, called “wedded metals.”[4]
The craft remains important in Taxco, buoyed by the town's status as a tourist attraction, as well as the National Silver Fair (Feria Nacional de la Plata) and competition in the last week of November. Most of the town's production is sold to tourists, and is taken out of Mexico. One challenge to the silver industry has been the price of silver, which can be prohibitive to its working in small, family shops.[8][4]
Gold is worked in several locations such as Iguala, Ciudad Altamirano, Cocuya de Catalan and Arcelia Ometepec, generally shaped into traditional colonial period designs. The most common type of gold used is “Huetamo”, which comes in several shades.[4][8][7]
The working of palm fronds was promoted in the state by friar Juan Bautista de Moya in the early colonial period. Today, it is one of the more ubiquitous and varied crafts of the state, in part because the raw material is abundant. The fronds are worked into items traditionally used by rural farm people, such as bags of various types, fans, petates and especially sombreros. The best known of these is the Tlapehuala style, named after one of the towns that make them, in both a “regular” and fine variety. However, some of these products are also sold to tourists, especially carrying bags, sombreros and small animal or human figures.[4][8]
Much of the raw material comes from mountain regions in communities such as Atlixtac, Zapotitlan Tablas, Ahuacoutzingo and Copanatoyac. However, not all palm weaving centers are where the palms grow. Chilapa and Zitlala also are noted for their wares.[8][2] Tlapehuala is known for the sombrero named after it, which is also produced in Chilapa, Zitlala, Zapotitlán Tablas, Tlapa and Copanatoyac.[2]
In addition to palm fronds, reeds are worked in several parts of the state to make baskets, toys, roofing for homes, bird cages and more. Corn husks are used to make decorative items, such as artificial flowers, along with toys.[2]
Pottery
Pottery pieces for sale at a roadside stand on the highway between Mexico City and Acapulco
The creation of pottery is one of the oldest crafts of the state and is one of the most widely practiced. Many are utilitarian items such as water coolers, utensils, plates, bowls, candle holders but decorative pieces such as animal and human figures. Religious items such as nativity scenes are also made.[8][2]
Pottery techniques are still mostly indigenous, including the continued practice of mixing cotton fiber into the clay to make it stronger.[2][7] The best work comes from the central region, especially the towns of Zacoalpan, Nuitzalpa, Atzacualoya, Tixtla, Zumpando de Neri and Hitzuco. Often the pieces are colorfully painted. Pottery communities tend to specialize. For example, the San Juan neighborhood in Chilapa specializes in geographic motifs over glazed ceramics, and the town of Acatlan specializes in toys and figurines. The potters of Ometepec are noted for the creation of unglazed cantaro storage containers decorated in white lines and floral patterns.[2][8] Most pottery is low-fire ware, which is traditional, but catering to the tourist and international markets has put pressure on artisans to incorporate more modern techniques. One of these is the increasing use of glaze.[4]
Wood working
Wood parquet chairs for sale in Ixcateopan
Wood is used to make furniture, toys, houses, ships and paper.[2]
Furniture for everyday use is commonly made throughout the state. In some areas, reproductions of rustic colonial furniture is made, such as in Taxco and Ixcateopan. Thiese pieces can include leather or palm frond components, and can include pieces made in finer woods such as cedar. In Venta Vieja, on the highway between Iguala and Chilpancingo, they make and sell living room and dining room sets, along with animal figures. Areas that made better-quality furniture in general include Chilpancingo, Iguala, Teloloapan and Ciudad Altamirano. In Teloloapan, Chilapa and Ayahualulco wooden masks and figures are also made, with lyres and various toy instruments made in Paraíso and Tetipac.[2][4][8]
In the lacquerware producing communities such as Olinalá, local carpenters make the boxes, chests, bowls and other items to be lacquered.[8]
Textiles
Woman from Chilapa de Alvarez embroidering a blouse
Textiles in the state are distinguished by the weaving and embroidery traditions of its indigenous peoples. The most distinctive of these is clothing items, but tablecloths, napkins and other wares are also made.[8]
Many Mixtec, Amuzgo and Nahua women still wear traditional dress, often made with hand woven cloth, with the finished product hand-embroidered. The main communities for this activity include Tlacoachistlahuaca, Xochistlahuaca, Yoloxochily, Huahuetónoc and Acatlán (Chilapa municipality). Both weaving patterns and embroidery designs can be intricate and adorn items such as blouses, shirts, pants and robes.[8][7] The most distinctive indigenous clothing garment is the huipil (a kind of loose blouse or dress), which is produced by several cultures, such as the Mixtec, Tlapanec and Amuzgo. Backstrap looms are used in Mixtec and Tlapaneca communities to make sarapes and gabanes (a kind of overcoat) which are somewhat crude, dyed with natural or commercial dyes in contrasting patterns. Another distinctive garment is the enredo nahuatl (a kind of wrap belt), made of cotton dyed blue with three white stripes, over which there is embroidery with floral, religious, patriotic human and animal motifs. The community best known for this work is Acatlán.[8][2]
In Zitlala and Acatlán, women sew traditional dresses, blouses and skirts, all embroidered. In Ometepec they create white blouses embroidered with sequins, with designs depicting fantastic animals, vegetation, geometric patterns and even people. Rebozos are still woven in the state but are disappearing. Chilapa still makes some.[2]
Another popular item made for tourists is clothing items, which while not authentic, do contain elements in cut or decoration from indigenous dress.[4]
Other crafts
Precious and semi-precious stones are worked, often with pre Hispanic motifs in location such as Taxco, Chilpancingo, Ixcateopan and Buena Vista de Cuellar. Various kinds of jewelry are made in Acatlán and Chilapa in family workshops. One particular item is brooches in various colors and materials. Various types of jewelry is made with fine gold wire in Ciudad Altamirano.[8]
Leatherworking is found in San Jerónimo (Costa Grande); Chilpancingo, Tixtla and Quechultenango in the center of the state; Arcelia and Coyuca de Catalán in the Tierra Caliente; and Buena Vista de Cuellar, whose work has won national competitions. Leather working in the state includes cattle, pig and goat hides to make shoes, jackets, coats, bags, holsters, belts, wallets and more.[2][8]
Patricio Ocampo Giles of San Martin Pachivia uses animal skulls and some other bones to create a unique craft. Using those of farm animals such as cattle, sheep and goats as a base, he creates masks and other images of old men, witches, shamans and more by covering the base with clay. While there is influence from the pre Hispanic period, the works are purely decorative, not religious.[9]
The coastal areas make a number of crafts, mostly as souvenirs for tourists. Many of these are made of seashells but with very limited artistry or quality.[8] It is similar with items made with coconut shells, especially in Costa Grande region. However, there is one artisan, Gilberto Abarca Galeana, who has taken this work to a higher level, noted for creativity and craftsmanship, making masks, jewelry, tortilla holders, picture frames, key chains and more.[10] Hammocks are made mostly in coastal communities such as Pénjamo, between Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, for both local and tourist sales.[11]
Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico in Mexico. It is divided into 81 municipalities. The state has a population of about 3.5 million people. It is located in southwest Mexico and is bordered by the states of Michoacán to the north and west, the State of Mexico and Morelos to the north, Puebla to the northeast and Oaxaca to the east. In addition to the capital city, Chilpancingo and the largest city Acapulco, other cities in Guerrero include Petatlán, Ciudad Altamirano, Taxco, Iguala, Ixtapa, and Zihuatanejo. Today, it is home to a number of indigenous communities, including the Nahuas, Mixtecs, Tlapanecs, Amuzgos, and formerly Cuitlatecs. It is also home to communities of Afro-Mexicans in the Costa Chica region.
Taxco de Alarcón is a small city and administrative center of Taxco de Alarcón Municipality located in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Taxco is located in the north-central part of the state, 36 kilometres from the city of Iguala, 135 kilometres from the state capital of Chilpancingo and 170 kilometres southwest of Mexico City.
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 Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías or National Fund for the Development of Arts and Crafts is a dependence of the Secretariat of Social Development (SEDESOL). It was established in 1974 to promote and protect traditional Mexican handcrafts. The agency has four main programs including artisan training, retail selling and the sponsoring of craft competitions as the local, regional and national level. FONART directly helped 26,600 artisans in 2006, but the agency has been criticized for being inefficient and not meeting the demands of national transparency laws. Currently, it seeks the capacity to authenticate crafts on a national and international level due to competitions from imitations from Asia.
Amuzgo textiles are those created by the Amuzgo indigenous people who live in the Mexican states of Guerrero and Oaxaca. The history of this craft extends to the pre-Columbian period, which much preserved, as many Amuzgos, especially in Xochistlahuaca, still wear traditional clothing. However, the introduction of cheap commercial cloth has put the craft in danger as hand woven cloth with elaborate designs cannot compete as material for regular clothing. Since the 20th century, the Amuzgo weavers have mostly made cloth for family use, but they have also been developing specialty markets, such as to collectors and tourists for their product.
The pottery of Metepec is that of a municipality in central Mexico, located near Mexico City. It is noted for durable utilitarian items but more noted for its decorative and ritual items, especially sculptures called “trees of life,” decorative plaques in sun and moon shapes and mermaid like figures called Tlanchanas. Metepec potters such as the Soteno family have won national and international recognition for their work and the town hosts the annual Concurso Nacional de Alfarería y Cerámica.
Traditional metal working in Mexico dates from the Mesoamerican period with metals such as gold, silver and copper. Other metals were mined and worked starting in the colonial period. The working of gold and silver, especially for jewelry, initially declined after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. However, during the colonial period, the working of metals rose again and took on much of the character traditional goods still have. Today, important metal products include those from silver, gold, copper, iron, tin and more made into jewelry, household objects, furniture, pots, decorative objects, toys and more. Important metal working centers include Taxco for silver, Santa Clara del Cobre for copper, Celaya for tin and Zacatecas for wrought iron.
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.
Mexican lacquerware is one of the country's oldest crafts, having independent origins from Asian lacquerware. In the pre-Hispanic period, a greasy substance from the aje larvae and/or oil from the chia seed were mixed with powdered minerals to create protective coatings and decorative designs. During this period, the process was almost always applied to dried gourds, especially to make the cups that Mesoamerican nobility drank chocolate from. After the Conquest, the Spanish had indigenous craftsmen apply the technique to European style furniture and other items, changing the decorative motifs and color schemes, but the process and materials remained mostly the same. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the craft waned during armed conflicts and returned, both times with changes to the decorative styles and especially in the 20th century, to production techniques. Today, workshops creating these works are limited to Olinalá, Temalacatzingo and Acapetlahuaya in the state of Guerrero, Uruapan and Pátzcuaro in Michoacán and Chiapa de Corzo in Chiapas.
Basketry of Mexico has its origins far into the pre Hispanic period, pre-dating ceramics and the domestication of crops. 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.
Handcrafts and folk art in Mexico City is a microcosm of handcraft production in most of the rest of country. One reason for this is that the city has attracted migration from other parts of Mexico, bringing these crafts. The most important handcraft in the city is the working of a hard paper mache called cartonería, used to make piñatas and other items related to various annual celebrations. It is also used to make fantastic creatures called alebrijes, which originated here in the 20th century. While there are handcrafts made in the city, the capital is better known for selling and promoting crafts from other parts of the country, both fine, very traditional wares and inexpensive curio types, in outlets from fine shops to street markets.
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.
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.
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
The olinalá is a lacquering technique native to Olinalá, Guerrero, Mexico. To make objects with olinalá, the aromatic wood extracted from the linaloe tree is highly appreciated. It grows naturally in the region. The art of olinalá is closely associated with the indigenous communities of the area, mainly speaking Nahuatl and Tlapanec.
References
↑ "Guerrero". The History Channel. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
1 2 Mastache, Flores Alba Guadalupe., and Sánchez Elia Nora. Morett. Entre Dos Mundos: Artesanos Y Artesanías En Guerrero. México, D.F.: Instituto Nacional De Antropología E Historia, 1997. Print.
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