How Is Mexican Pottery Made?

Artisans use red clay to produce redware pottery in the Michoacan region of Mexico.

The pottery of Mexico has a rich and varied history. When many people think of Mexican pottery, they think of the white pottery painted with rich, vibrant colors. These same qualities often appear in Mexican tiles. This type of pottery is known as Talavera and hails from the Puebla region of Mexico. Other well known types of Mexican pottery include Michoacan redware pottery and Oaxaca Barro Negro pottery.

Ancient Pottery Techniques

The people of Mexico have produced pottery since about 1500 B.C. when the Olmec tribes developed earthenware techniques. According to the Mexican Ceramic website, modern Mexicans still produce pottery using techniques that have been passed down from culture to culture since the Olmec period. Ancient pottery in Mexico was usually produced using coil building, open firing and natural pigmenting processes. Coil building involves rolling pieces of clay and building up pieces with coils stacked on top of one another. Open firing pottery involves cooking pottery in an open bonfire or a rudimentary pit kiln. The natural pigmenting process uses natural elements like dyes made from plant and animal matter to color the clay.

Talavera History

Talavera is one of the most iconic types of Mexican pottery, involving vessels decorated with bright colors and designs. Many regions of Mexico produce what they claim is Talavera pottery, however true Talavera is only produced in the Puebla section of Mexico. According to the Inside Mexico website, Talavera was introduced to Mexico by Spanish settlers in the 16th century but now is more widely produced in Mexico than in Spain. At the time, there were three classifications of Talavera: fine, semi-fine and daily use. Blue pigments could only be used on the fine pottery because blue was very expensive to produce. Each piece produced had to be signed by the potter so that a person could verify its authenticity. Potters had to pass yearly standards tests in order to qualify as Talavera master potters.

Talavera Process

Today, Talavera pottery is still produced in the same method introduced in the 16th century. In fact, the Talavera process is protected by the government of Mexico, according to the Talavera Emporium website. Talavera is made by hand from a mixture of water, natural white clay and natural black clay. Artisans mold pieces by hand into the correct shape and place them in a room protected from air drafts. Here the pottery is left to dry for one to three months. After the clay has air dried it is fired in a kiln at a temperature of 850 degrees. Potters burn lead and tin in an open fire and mix it with gravel and water to create a glaze. After glazing a piece, the artist will add minerals and oxides to produce blue, light blue, black, yellow, orange, green and rose pigments. The potter paints these on the clay and fire it a second time to make colors appear bright and vibrant.

Michoacan Redware

Another type of Mexican pottery is redware produced from red clay in the Mexican region of Michoacan. Redware pieces feature an iconic floral design produced by painting on the clay. Artists create traditional redware flowers with the thick part of a paintbrush and include white or green petals around a central, black circle.

Oaxaca Barro Negro

Oaxaca barro negro pottery is carved pieces made from naturally black clay. These pottery pieces are produced in the Oaxaca region of Mexico. Potters make these pieces by hand and traditionally do not spin them on a wheel, according to the Clayhound website. Barro negro potters begin by punching and turning a slab of clay to produce the pottery's shape. They then set the pieces to dry in the sun and smooth them with broken pottery shards. They cut designs into the pottery by hand and fire the piece in a ground level, colored kiln. The fire is not exposed to a lot of oxygen and the smoke is rich in carbon. This helps further intensify the clay's black color. Pottery must be double fired in order to hold water. Finished pieces are polished with a rag in order to produce a glossy finish.

References

• Inside Mexico: Art and Handicrafts: Talavera Poblana
• Talavera Emporium: Talavera
• Fine Mexican Ceramics: A Glance At the History of Ceramics
• Clayhound Web: Oaxaca Pottery