Evening star., 1937-12-12
Folk Crafts
Of Mexico
Famous
Tourists Find
Picturesque
Souvenirs.

y ExICO CITY, Dec. 11.-Mex-
M leo City long has been famous
IVI for her native crafts and folk
4 i arts. Few visitors are able
to resist their charm, and the unwrit-
ten rule Is to ouy an extra piece OF
baggage or two in order to bring home
all the purchases. And the first pur-
chase in Mexico might well be that
extra piece Of baggage basket from
Toluca, gay and colorful.
Fortunate is the visitor who Is in
Mexico City during the Christmas hol-
idays. Then native crafts from all
over the republic appear on the side
walks, the streets, in the puestos, or
stalls. They appear in combination
with merry-go-rounds, ferris wheels,
food and the odor of food, street the
aters, puppet shows. Collectively, the
puestos form highly entertaining and
concentrated event, in their business
and pleasure much like a medieval
fair.
At one time they were held in the
Alameda, but now they extend for
blocks along the streets in the vicinity
of the huge Abelardo Rodriguez mar
ket. Along with motion and the
glamour are to be found numerous ex-
amples H one Of Mexico's most dis
tinguished folk arts-the pinata. This
is an amusing and imaginative por-
trayal in tissue paper, cardboard and
paint Of almost any object under the
sun.
Favorite subjects include globes,
stars, brides, bandits, poems, clowns
and an occasional scene from the
floating gardens of Xochimilco. In
most Of these pinatas, beneath the
tissue paper, the paint and the imagi-
nation is clay jar filled with fruit
and candy. AS a part Of the festivi-
ties in Mexican households at Christ
mas time, pinata is hung from the
ceiling. Blindfolded guests try to
break the jar and reap the rewards OF
its contents.
MANY and varied are the native
crafts which appear in the
Christmas puestos or are offered in
shops and markets throughout the
year. Less varied but Just an inter-
esting are the crafts which add color
to the smaller market places of the
by-ways. For the convenience of the
visitor who would like to know q bit
more about the native crafts and folk
arts of Mexico, they are sketched here
under claSSificatiOnS:
Pottery-It is literally beneath your
feet in every market place. Except
for pottery fashioned in very remote
parts Of Mexico and seldom seen by
the visitor, most Mexican pottery re-
veals a curious, charming blend OF
the craftsmanship of the Old World
and the New. Some of it ranks high
in ceramic art. The bulk of the pot
terry found in Mexico City comes from
three or four famous pottery centers.
OF these perhaps the most renowned
is San Pedro Tlaquepaque, a little viii
lage just outside of Guadala jara. The
potters Of Tlaquepaque turn out a
wide variety of objects that include
vases, platters, dishes, toys and orna-
ments. Flowers and animals are typ
ical decorations. They are frequently
done IN polychrome and often with q
delightful touch of humor. Basic
colors range from a natural terra
Gotta through brown to yellow and a
gray bun. Many of the clay fruits
and painted pig banks come from
Tlaquepaque. Not far from the vii
lage Is another small pueblo, Tonala,
and here is made the commoner va
riety Of pottery-brown ramekins and
casseroles. From Oaxaca come q
many-colored drip ware and dishes
with patterns modelled after the
mosaiacs at Militia. The last are often
cream-colored with brown designs.
Oaxaca is also famous for q thin,
highly glazed green pottery. And
some Of the finest unglazed black
pottery made in Mexico comes from
this area. Puebla has long been a
center for majolica ware. It was here
that the making Of Talavera pottery
was first introduced into Mexico by
Spanish friars. Typical color combi-
nations are blue and white. or green
and brown. Some Of the Puehla pot
terry, particularly the old, has strong
Chinese characteristics for Puebla de-
rives its pottery making traditions
from time when the tastes of the
Spanish colonials were influenced by
importations from the Far East.
Silver-Among other things Mexico
Is a silver country. Below the Rio
Grande the art of the silversmith
dates back beyond the Aztecs to the
Toltecs. Hand-wrought Silver is one
of the finest of all the Mexican folk
arts. Silver pieces are usually sold
on weight irrespective Of design. For
the most part they are produced in
Mexico City.
Glass-Mexican hand-blown bubble
glass Is probably the most widely
known Of all the native crafts. Most
OF this glass is made by members of
the Avalos family, glass blowers for
generations. There is q factory in
Mexico City and one in Guadalaiara.
EEATHER work, straw work-Feath-
er work, q famous -Hispanic
art, has lost its vitality. It is still
practiced in q small way on place
cards and on larger pieces of black
card board. Gradually, in its place
straw work Is coming to the fore.
Broowstraw mosaics appear on cards
and As small pictures. Some of this
work is exceptionally fine.
Leather-Saddles, brides and trap
pings Of fooled leather with gold and
silver embroidery come from Amozoc,
not far from Puerla Others are made