Characteristics of Mexican Folk Art
Mexican folk art encompasses a wide range of materials and crafts. The three major regions of Mexico--north, central and south--yield clays with different qualities, varying native plant life, and ethnic traditions that begin with pre-Hispanic Mayan culture. This article covers just a few of the many types of articles being created by Mexico's artists.
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Clay
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Clay pieces are either shaped by hand, using fingers or a potter's wheel, or cast in molds.
Artists use different finishes, sometimes specific to their region and to the types of clay used. Pastillas are raised clay ornamentation placed on the piece to give the appearance of applique.
Using natural-pigment paints, some potters decorate their pieces with designs native to their regions.
A bandera finish uses colors from the Mexican flag, a red background with green and white features.
Canelo is a mixture of black and white clays treated with pigments that turn deep red upon firing. Artists create panteado by using a squirrel's tail as a brush to dot paint onto the pieces before they're fired.
Leather
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Artists decorate leather by embossing it, creating patterns on the underside of the piece by using a chisel to outline the forms. They also use yarn fibers made from local plants or wool yarn as decorations.
The embellished leather is turned into jackets, chaps, moccasins and vests.
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Metal
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Copper metalwork produced in Santa Clara del Cobre is made from one piece, without seams or welding. The copper is heated to red-hot intensity and hammered to stretch it.
Ironworkers make wrought-iron crosses, hardware for gates and doors, and rodeo-riders' equipment, such as spurs, using a hammer and anvil on the hot metal. They add decorations, perhaps in a celestial theme, after the pieces cool.
Artists patterns on sheets of tin, then cut them out with tin scissors. They produce elaborately-decorated candelabras, lanterns, picture frames and figures. Some are painted and shellacked.
Jewelry makers use gold and silver to create filigree, earrings, bracelets and chains. They also use an ancient process for forming silver items called "lost wax," in which they make a wax mold of a sculptured shape to cast the metal.
Paper
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Papel picado is cutwork. Among other things, artists use it to make the flags that line the streets and decorate homes and altars during the Day of the Dead. They begin by drawing a pattern on tissue paper, then using metal chisels and scissors to cut and perforate the paper to create the designs.
They also make alebrijes, brightly-painted creatures resembling dragons, from reused newspapers.
Paper-and-cardboard sculptures, or cartoneria, are made in skull and skeleton shapes, models of popular cultural figures and portrayals of town fiestas.
Textiles
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Fiber artists use hand-spun fibers of cotton, silk and wool, dyed with traditional natural materials such as charcoal, indigo plants, sea snails and vines. They weave the yarns into clothing, tapestries and embroideries.
Rebozos are shawls made from silk or cotton, some with very elaborate designs.
Weavers in the state of Mexico create embroidered designs that are, essentially, woven paintings. These embroideries are used to make tapestries and decorate clothing.
Other Materials
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Wax is used to make decorated candles that are burned in churches, and also to form wax figures of folk characters.
Artists use sugar to make sculptures for market day. Using sugar, a type of glue, lemon juice and egg whites, they mold angels, skulls and animals.
Coconut shells are used to make bowls and coin banks. Artists also carve designs into them.
Potters have begun to use ancient craft techniques to reproduce pieces made by the Mayans. They decorate their pieces with hieroglyphs, mythical figures and folk characters.
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