Signature crafts from Central Mexico

If we talk about handicrafts, Mexico is one of the countries with the most incredible variety, color, and beauty, thanks to the skill and trade of people - often family dynasties- who dedicate their lives to making typical pieces and objects.

Fitted clay, silver, gold jewelry, wood carvings, jade or amber objects, sarapes, charro hats, mariachi costumes, rebozos, and ceramics from Puebla—in addition to piñatas—are part of folklore and traditions spread throughout Mexico.

Fitted Clay

The famous Barro Negro originating from Oaxaca is made by Doña Rosa, a humble lady from San Bartolo Coyotepec who, in the 1950s, managed to give a stunning finish to the clay objects she baked.

This technique, apparently already used by the Mixtecs and Zapotecs, consisted of reducing the atmospheres of a special twomouth kiln to generate a reverse oxidation process, and burnishing the piece so that it acquires the smooth texture of black clay. Today, with Doña Rosa gone, the tradition has been perpetuated, with the same material, clayey mud, baked in ovens to give rise to various containers and objects.

From Puebla de Zaragoza comes the Puebla or Talavera pottery, recalling the Spanish origin of Talavera de la Reina in Toledo. The art of decorating ceramic tiles, with the characteristic bluish tone of the Talavera from Puebla, is one of the most characteristic crafts of Mexico. Since the end of the 16th century, the production of Talavera has been verified and in the 17th century, norms and regulations were established with guilds that controlled quality and manufacturing. Currently, a Denomination of Origin shows the Puebla origin of the products.

Silversmith's

The mineral wealth of Mexico has meant that gold, silver, jadeite, or amber-based ornamentation of personal trousseau has been used for thousands of years. The Spanish first and companies of American and French investors later exploited mines to extract the coveted minerals with which all kinds of jewelry are made. As a result, in the State of Hidalgo and Taxco (State of Guerrero), we can find high-quality silver rings, earrings, and pendants, the work of local goldsmiths.