page_title: Handcrafts and folk art in Hidalgo
section_title: Regional cultures
hierarchical_section_title: Handcrafts and folk art in Hidalgo / Regional cultures
caption_attribution_description: English: Wood items with inlaid shell from Ninth, Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo at the Expo de los Pueblos Indígenas in Mexico City
context_page_description: Hidalgo 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.
context_section_description: The state of Hidalgo is divided into five cultural and geographic regions:the Mezquital Valley, La Huasteca Hidalguense, La Sierra Tepehua, La Sierra and Altiplanicie Pulquera. Three of these are particularly noted for their handcraft styles. The Mezquital Valley is the center of the state Otomi population, the most numerous indigenous group. The crafts of this valley are characterized by this ethnicity, as well as the vegetation of the semi-arid area. Most are made for local use with a number conserving pre Hispanic techniques and designs. Textiles are made on backstrap looms, with indigenous designs which had magical-religious meanings. Another indigenous handcraft is the working of stiff fibers such as those from the maguey and lechuguilla plants to make bags, nets and some clothing items.  Basketry is made with reeds and palm fronds, with cooking utensils made from wood. The city of Ixmiquilpan is the center of the Otomi population and is its main handcraft production center.
  The Hidalgo part of the Huasteca region has subtropical vegetation, with an abundance of water in rivers and springs and almost no urban areas. The indigenous population here is Nahua, who have conserved many of their customs, including handcrafts techniques and designs. These crafts tend to be utilitarian rather than decorative making comals, other cooking vessels, fish traps, candles, etc., generally for domestic use.  Most of these are made by women in the home, especially embroidered textiles, which are worn as part of ethnic identity.
  The Tepehua region is located in the higher mountainous areas of the Sierra Alta and Sierra Gorda. Most of the population is mestizo with a sizable Tepehua indigenous community, with handcrafts that are both utilitarian and decorative. Motifs tend to be a mix of indigenous with European.
caption: Wood items inlaid with shell from Ixmiquilpan
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