page_title: Handcrafts of Guerrero
section_title: Silver and other metals
hierarchical_section_title: Handcrafts of Guerrero / Craft types / Silver and other metals
caption_attribution_description: Español: Piezas de Plata de Taxco, Guerrero, México. This is a photo of a monument in Mexico, identified by ID DAOG77_TXC_03
context_page_description: The handcrafts of Guerrero include a number of products which are mostly made by the indigenous communities of the Mexican state of Guerrero. Some, like pottery and basketry, have existed relatively intact since the pre Hispanic period, while others have gone through significant changes in technique and design since the colonial period. Today, much of the production is for sale in the state's major tourism centers, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Taxco, which has influence the crafts’ modern evolution. The most important craft traditions include amate bark painting, the lacquerware of Olinalá and nearby communities and the silverwork of Taxdo.
context_section_description: The working of silver and gold date from the pre Hispanic period, when these metals, especially gold, was an important tribute item. The metals were worked into ceremonial and decorative objects reserved for the nobility and priests.
  Today, the best known work of this type is the silver objects, especially jewelry, produced in the mountain town of Taxco, about three hours from Mexico City. During the colonial period, the area was rich in silver, making one man, Jose de la Borda, particularly wealthy. However, the mines eventually dried up and the working of this metal was down to one old silversmith by 1931, when American William Spratling arrived. Believing that the handcrafting of silver should be done where the metal has a history, Spratling convinced two young gold smiths in Iguala to move to Taxco to help him open a shop.  He also believed that the role of designers, was to “utilize and dignify” the material, which was a new ideal for craftsmen at the time. Spratling's shop was not only a success, he attracted apprentices who then went on to open their own shops, including noted artisans Antonio Castillo and Antonio Pineda.  These new generations of silversmits have also rescued a forgotten technique of combining different metals, which has a pre Hispanic origin, called “wedded metals.”
  The craft remains important in Taxco, buoyed by the town's status as a tourist attraction, as well as the National Silver Fair (Feria Nacional de la Plata) and competition in the last week of November. Most of the town's production is sold to tourists, and is taken out of Mexico. One challenge to the silver industry has been the price of silver, which can be prohibitive to its working in small, family shops.
  Gold is worked in several locations such as Iguala, Ciudad Altamirano, Cocuya de Catalan and Arcelia Ometepec, generally shaped into traditional colonial period designs. The most common type of gold used is “Huetamo”, which comes in several shades.
  Iron and steel working takes place in locations such as Ayutla, Tixtla, Chilapa, Cualac, which are particularly noted for their machetes. Tin objects are made in Tlacotepec, Tlalchipa and Cuetzala del Progreso.
caption: Silver set in Taxco
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