Mexican Creations

Animals                         Sun&Moon                             Figures

The tradition of woodcarving goes back generations, but it is only in the past two decades that the colorful figures have become popular with collectors worldwide. The artists who makethese colorful wooden figures live in three villages. The prettiest and closest to Oaxaca city is Arrazola. It lies in the shadow of Monte Alban, the ancient Zapotec holy city whose ruins overlook the valley from a nearby mountaintop. The other villages are San Martin Tilcajete and La Union Tejalapan, both about an hour away from Oaxaca City.

The carvings are made from the twisted branches of the copalillo tree, which grows on the hills around the valley. The wood has a sweet odor, and its resin has been burned in incense burnerssince ancient times. It is still an essential element at religious celebrations and such festivals as the Day of the Dead when the smoke and smell of copal permeates the air.

Copal wood is easy to carve when it is green. Today, as in the past, the carvers do most of their whittling with machetes or pocket knives. Then, they leave the carving to dry in the sun. After three days, when the wood has become dry and lightweightit sands to a smooth finish. Before painting, some carvers apply a sealer to thewood to protect it from insects; others soak the carving in gasoline for three days.

                                                                    
The art of creating beautiful ceramics has been cultivated for centuries by the Mexican people . Simply by looking at the magnificent ceramics created by  pre-Columbian civilizations we can see that this land possesses an  extraordinary artistic heritage. Contemporary Mexican Artists have drawn upon this legacy and re-invented ancestral techniques, such as the coil method used in Mata Ortiz pottery also known as Casas Grandes.  Talavera orMajolica from Colonial times, as well as theJapanese method used on our Stoneware pottery.  (from FineMexican CeramicsArt Gallery)

The original inhabitants of Mata Ortiz were part of the Casas Grandes civilization, a vast network of villages in Northern Mexico.Casas Grandes culture thrived from the eleventh century A.D. until about 1350. Nearthe present-day site of Mata Ortiz stood the city of Paquimé. In this highly developed civilization achievements included hand-built ceramics featuringmaze-like motifs, animal figures, and stone-polished surfaces. The people of Paquime mysteriously vanished around 1400, leaving behind a legacy of exquisite pottery.

Although at first the pots were crude utilitarian vessels, their style, shape and quality transformed through  trade with the Hohakam and Anazasi. Designs were inspired by the environment including bird and leaf patterns stylized by each artist.

In the 1970's Juan Quezada rediscovered the ancient pottery-making process and today the entire pueblo of Mata Ortiz create outstanding handmade, coiled pots or ollas, following centuries old  methods. "Mata Ortiz pottery" is the reincarnation of Casas Grandes pottery and is currently known as one of the finest ceramics in the world.